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SOME 


NOTED  SCULPTURES 

AND 

THEIR  HOMES. 


COMPILED  BY 

MARY  GRAHAM  DUFF. 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  SOULE  PHOTOGRAPH  COMPANY, 
338  Washington  Street. 

1889. 


Copyright,  1888, 

By  MARY  GRAHAM  DUFF. 


All  rights  reserved . 


PRESS  OF 

ROCKWELL  AND  CHURCHILL, 
BOSTON. 


PREFACE. 


r ^HE  favorable  reception  accorded  “ Some  Famous 
Paintings  and  Their  Homes”  has  encouraged 
the  author  to  come  again  before  the  public  in  this 
companion  work,  which  she  trusts  will  meet  with  even 
a warmer  welcome  from  all  who  are  interested  in 
the  grand  subject  of  plastic  art. 

The  field  is  such  a wide  one,  and  so  full  of  the 
richest  treasures,  that  the  difficulty  has  been,  not 
what  to  select,  but  what  to  leave  untouched. 

There  are  differences  of  opinion  on  this  as  on 
most  subjects,  and,  in  order  to  come  to  a full  under- 
standing of  some  points,  conflicting  interpretations 
must  occasionally  be  cited,  and  more  than  once  the 
reader  is  left  in  doubt  and  some  perplexity.  This  is 
unavoidable  in  the  cases  where  it  occurs,  and  time, 
and  time  alone,  will  solve  the  mystery. 

(O 


The  authorities  quoted  stand  in  the  front  rank  of 
archaeologists  and  art  writers,  and  having  offered 
their  knowledge  and  research  the  author  can  do  no 
more. 

Mary  Graham  Duff. 


The  blank  leaves  are  intended  for  photographic 
illustrations  of  each  statue  and  its  home.  These 
photographs  — $1.50  per  dozen — may  be  procured  all 
at  once,  or  gradually,  at  the  option  of  the  purchaser, 
from  the  SOULE  PHOTOGRAPH  Co.,  338  Washington 
street,  Boston.  These  pictures  are  ordered  by  num- 
ber only,  except  where  no  number  is  given,  when 
they  should  be  ordered  by  their  names.  They  must 
be  unmounted  cabinets,  and  should  be  pasted  only 
on  the  edge  nearest  the  binding  or  back  part  of  the 
book,  so  that  they  will  turn  with  the  leaves.  The 
following  numbers,  from  the  “ Soule  Catalogue,”  are 
the  ones  needed  for  the  full  illustration  of  this  vol- 
ume. It  has  been  found  necessary  to  issue  the  work 
in  two  volumes,  but  each  is  complete  in  itself  and 
is  sold  separately. 


(O 


SCULPTURES 


VOLUME  I. 


THE  VATICAN. 


No. 

2262. 

Jupiter  Otricoli. 

“ 

2232. 

Apollo  Belvedere. 

“ 

2233. 

“ “ Head. 

S 4 

2285. 

Torso  Belvedere. 

V 

2263. 

Laocoon. 

4 4 

2237. 

Apoxyomenos. 

4 i 

2280. 

Ariadne  Deserted. 

a 

. 

Amazon  (Mattei) . ( ?) 

4 4 

2265. 

Meleager. 

44 

2288. 

Venus  of  Cnidos. 

4 4 

2268. 

Minerva  Medica. 

4 4 

2271. 

Headless  Niobe. 

THE  CAPITOL,  ROME, 

No. 

2212. 

Minerva  Bellica.  (White  Maiden. 

“ 

2202. 

Faun  of  Praxiteles. 

4 4 

2217. 

Venus  of  the  Capitol. 

4 4 

2218. 

“ “ “ Head. 

2201. 

Dying  Gladiator  or  Gaul. 

44 

2I95. 

Antinous. 

(3) 


THE  LOUVRE, 


*^No. 

2431. 

Venus  of  Melos. 

4 4 

2432. 

“ “ “ Head  and  Bust. 

4 4 

. 

Fighting  Gladiator. 

“ 

2418. 

Diana  k la  Biche. 

4 4 

. 

“ “ “ Head. 

4 4 

. 

Pallas  from  Velletri. 

UFFIZI  PALACE. 

No. 

2311. 

Niobe. 

4 4 

2313. 

Daughter. 

4 4 

2312. 

4 4 

4 4 

2323. 

Son. 

44 

2321. 

4 4 

44 

2324. 

Pedagogue. 

2319. 

Youngest  Son. 

44 

2316. 

Daughter. 

44 

2320. 

Son. 

44 

2318. 

Dead  Son. 

44 

2314. 

Daughter. 

4 4 

23I5- 

44 

4 4 

2317. 

44 

44 

2322. 

Son. 

2327. 

Venus  de  Medici. 

2329. 

“ “ “ Head. 

233I- 

The  Wrestlers. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

No.  . StroganofF  Apollo.  St.  Petersburg. 

“ . Steinhaiiser  Apollo.  (Head.)  Basle. 

(4) 


HOMES 


VOLUME  I. 


No. 

4796. 

The 

Vatican. 

“ 

4797- 

44 

“ Braccio  Nuovo. 

44 

4799- 

44 

“ Gallery  of  Statues. 

i i 

4800. 

“ 

“ 

“ 

. 

“ 

“ Hall  of  the  Biga. 

i i 

4804. 

“ 

“ Museo  Chiaramonti. 

4 4 

4805. 

4 4 

“ The  Rotunda. 

4 4 

4709. 

The 

Capitol.  Fa9ade. 

44 

4711. 

“ 

“ Equestrian  Statue  of  M.  Aurelias. 

44 

2946. 

The 

Louvre.  Colonnade. 

44 

2948. 

“ 

“ Court  Front. 

44 

2951. 

44 

“ Vestibule. 

44 

2956. 

44 

“ Gallery  of  Venus  of  Melos. 

“ 

. 

4 4 

“ Salle  du  Gladiateur. 

44 

. 

“ 

“ “ des  Caryatides. 

44 

. 

“ 

“ “ du  Tibre. 

44 

4937- 

Uffizi.  The  Portico. 

44 

4938. 

“ 

The  Tribune. 

“ 

4939- 

44 

Third  Corridor. 

4 4 

4940. 

“ 

Hall  of  Niobe. 

(5) 

CONTENTS 


VOLUME  I. 


Jupiter  Otricoli 

Page. 

13 

Apollo  Belvedere  . 

24 

The  Torso  Belvedere  . 

46 

The  LaocoOn  . 

59 

The  Apoxyomenos  . 

7i 

Ariadne  Deserted  . 

75 

Amazon  .... 

83 

Meleager 

92 

Venus  of  Cnidos 

101 

Minerva  Medica 

. 

109 

The  Vatican 

112 

Minerva  of  the  Capitol 

128 

Faun  of  Praxiteles 

131 

The  Dying  Gladiator,  or 

Gaul 

139 

Antinous  .... 

144 

The  Capitol,  Rome 

155 

The  Venus  of  Melos 

162 

The  Fighting  Gladiator 

172 

The  Diana  X la  Biche  . 

178 

Pallas  from  Velletri  . 

186 

The  Louvre 

T93 

The  Niobe  Group  . 

211 

The  Venus  de  Medici  . 

238 

The  Wrestlers 

247 

The  Uffizi  Palace 

251 

(7) 


INDEX. 

VOLUME  |. 


Amazon  .... 

Page. 

• 83 

Antinous  .... 

144 

Apollo  Belvedere  . 

24 

Apoxyomenos,  The  . 

71 

Ariadne  Deserted  . 

75 

Capitol,  Rome,  The 

155 

Diana  A la  Biche  . 

178 

Faun  of  Praxiteles 

1 3i 

- Gladiator,  or  Gaul,  The 

Dying 

139 

Gladiator,  The  Fighting 

172 

Jupiter  Otricoli 

13 

- LaocoSn,  The  . 

59 

Louvre,  The  . 

193 

Meleager  .... 

92 

Minerva  of  the  Capitol 

128 

Minerva  Medic  a 

109 

Niobe  Group,  The  . 

211 

Pallas  from  Velletri  . 

186 

Torso,  The  Belvedere  . 

46 

Uffizi  Palace  . 

251 

Vatican,  The  . 

112 

Venus  de  Medici  . 

238 

Venus  of  Cnidos  . 

IOI 

~ Venus  of  Melos 

162 

— Wrestlers,  The 

. 

247 

(9) 


AUTHORITIES  QUOTED. 

VOLUME  I. 


Berens. 

Chambers. 

Clarac. 

Knight. 

Legrand. 

Lubke. 

Murray  (A.  S.) 
Murray. 


Perry,  W.  C. 
Redford. 


Myths  and  Legends  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
Encyclopaedia. 

Mus6e  de  Sculpture,  Antique  et  Moderne. 
Pictorial  Gallery  of  Arts. 

GaRries  des  Antiques. 

History  of  Sculpture. 

History  of  Greek  Sculpture. 

Handbook  of  Central  Italy. 

“ “ Paris. 

“ “ Rome. 

Greek  and  Roman  Sculpture. 

Ancient  Sculpture. 

(10) 


JUPITER  OTRICOLI,  VATICAN. 


' I "HE  magnificent  bust  in  the  Sala  rotonda  of 
the  Vatican,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Jupiter 
Otricoli,  is  supposed  by  some  writers  to  be  a copy 
from  the  great  work  of  Pheidias.  It  belongs,  no  doubt, 
to  the  Roman  period ; but  it  is  equally  certain  that 
the  design  is  not  Roman,  but  only  copied,  with  cer- 
tain modifications,  from  some  noble  Greek  original. 
It  gives  with  great  clearness  the  characteristics  of  the 
type  of  Zeus,  first  settled  by  Pheidias,  which  recur  in 
all  subsequent  representations  of  this  deity  and  some  of 
his  reputed  sons,  — Asklepios,  Alexander  the  Great,  etc. 

Among  these  characteristics  are  the  manner  in 
which  the  hair  rises  straight  up  on  the  forehead  and 
falls  down  on  each  side  of  the  head  like  a mane  ; 
the  brow,  clear  and  open  above,  and  prominently 
arched  below;  the  full,  massive  beard  flowing  down 
in  rich  curls ; the  deep-set  but  widely  opened  eyes, 
and  the  refined  and  noble  expression  of  mingled 

(13) 


majesty  and  mildness  in  the  face,  so  suitable  to  the 
omnipotent  ruler  and  gracious  father  of  Gods  and 
men. 

Perry. 

The  Jupiter  of  Phidias  received  the  highest  admira- 
tion from  all  antiquity ; it  survived  the  god  himself, 
for  it  was  not  until  the  fifth  century  of  the  Christian 
Era  that  a fire  destroyed  both  the  statues  and  the 
temple. 

Every  Hellenist  went  on  a pilgrimage  to  it.  He 
who  had  seen  it  was  pronounced  happy. 

“ Even  on  a Roman,  as  ^Emilius  Paulus,  for  instance, 
the  Olympic  Jupiter  produced  the  most  powerful  effect. 
To  him,  at  least,  it  was  the  embodiment  of  the 
Homeric  Jupiter,  if  not  the  god  himself. 

“ Pliny  speaks  of  it  as  inimitable ; later  writers  extol 
the  view  of  it  as  a magic  charm,  which  makes  all 
care  and  suffering  forgotten ; and  Quintilian  says  that 
the  Jupiter  of  Phidias  has  even  added  a new  impetus 
to  the  existing  religion,  so  much  does  the  majesty  of 
the  work  equal  the  god  himself.” 

The  ruler  of  Olympus  did  not,  it  is  said,  disdain 
to  give  the  master  a proof  of  his  satisfaction.  For, 
so  says  the  religious  legend,  when  Phidias,  standing 
before  his  finished  work  in  the  temple,  prayed  the 

(i4) 


god  for  a token  that  the  work  was  pleasing  to  him, 
a flash  of  lightning  suddenly  passed  across  the  un- 
clouded sky,  and  through  an  opening  in  the  temple 
roof,  and  touched  the  ground  by  the  side  of  the 
master. 

Lilbke . 

The  temple  of  Jupiter  at  Elis  was  hypaethral,  or 
open  to  the  sky  within,  like  the  Parthenon ; and  the 
statue  of  the  god  occupied  the  same  place  in  it  as 
that  of  Minerva  did  in  the  building  just  named. 

Pausanias  says  of  this  chryselephantine  statue : — 

“ The  god,  made  of  gold  and  ivory,  is  seated  on  a 
throne.  Upon  his  head  is  a crown  in  imitation  of  an 
olive-branch.  In  his  right  hand  he  carries  a figure 
of  Victory,  which  is  also  formed  of  gold  and  ivory, 
holding  a wreath  and  wearing  a crown  on  her  head. 
In  the  left  hand  of  Jupiter  is  a sceptre,  glittering 
with  various  kinds  of  metals,  and  on  the  summit  of 
the  sceptre  is  an  eagle.  The  sandals  of  the  god  are 
of  gold,  and  his  mantle  is  also  golden.  The  figures 
of  various  animals,  and  of  all  sorts  of  flowers,  par- 
ticularly lilies,  are  painted  on  it. 

“ The  throne  is  a diversified  assemblage  of  gold, 
precious  stones,  ivory,  and  ebony,  on  which  figures 
of  all  kinds  are  also  painted  or  sculptured. 

(17) 


“At  each  of  the  four  feet  of  the  throne  are  four 
Victories,  and  there  are  two  others  in  front  of  the 
lower  part  of  each  foot. 

“ Upon  the  summits  of  the  throne,  above  the  level 
of  the  head  of  the  god,  Phidias  has  made  on  the 
one  side  the  Graces,  and  on  the  other  the  Seasons, 
three  in  each  group.  These  were  the  daughters  of 
Jupiter,  as  the  poets  relate. 

“ Homer,  in  his  Iliad,  makes  mention  of  the  Seasons, 
to  whom  he  attributes  the  care  of  the  heavens,  like 
sentinels  who  are  attending  the  gates  of  a palace.” 

Knight . 

Jupiter,  or  Juppiter,  in  Roman  mythology,  was  the 
greatest  of  the  gods.  The  name  is  a modification  of 
“ Diovis  pater  ” ; i.e.>  the  Father  of  Heaven,  or  the 
Heavenly  Father.  As  such  Jupiter  has  all  power  over 
the  phenomena  of  the  skies ; hence  his  numerous 
epithets,  such  as  Pluvius  (the  Rain-giver),  Tonans 
(the  Thunderer),  Fnlminator  (the  Lightning-hurler), 
and  Serenator  (the  Weather-clearer).  But  he  possessed 
still  higher  and  diviner  attributes.  The  future  was 
spread  out  clearly  before  his  all-seeing  eye ; the  des- 
tinies of  men  were  in  his  hands,  and  events  were  but 
the  expression  of  his  omnipotent  will. 

But  he  was  not  careless  of  mankind.  As  the 

(18) 


) 


national  god  of  the  Roman  people  he  went  with 
them  into  battle  (like  the  Jehovah  of  the  Hebrews), 
fought  for  them,  procured  them  victory,  and,  generally 
speaking,  was  their  protector  at  home  and  abroad. 

The  strong  sense  of  morality  which  marked  the  old 
Romans  also  found  its  expression  in  their  view  of  the 
character  of  the  best  and  greatest  ( optimus  Maximus ) 
of  their  gods. 

He  had  temples  erected  to  him  at  Rome  under  all 
his  different  names,  but  the  principal  one  was  on  the 
Capitol,  whence  he  had  the  title  of  Capitol  inns,  and 
where,  with  beautiful  significance,  the  statues  of  Fides 
(Faithfulness)  and  Victoria  (Victory)  were  placed  beside 
his  own. 

When  consuls  or  other  magistrates  entered  on  the 
duties  of  their  office,  or  when  the  army  was  about 
to  open  a campaign,  or  a general  returned  victorious 
from  war,  sacrifices  were  solemnly  offered  to  Jupiter, 
and  his  favor  invoked.  When  the  Romans  began  to 
know  the  religion  and  literature  of  Greece,  they  fool- 
ishly sought  to  identify  their  own  noble,  majestic,  and 
gravely  upright  Jupiter  with  the  slippery,  lustful,  and 
immoral  Zeus  of  the  Greeks.  Hence  have  originated 
much  confusion  and  misconception. 


(2l) 


Chambers. 


LEGEND. 


Zeus  ( Jupiter ) the  great  presiding  deity  of  the  uni- 
verse, the  ruler  of  heaven  and  earth,  was  regarded  by 
the  Greeks,  first,  as  the  god  of  all  aerial  phenomena; 
secondly,  as  the  personification  of  the  laws  of  nature ; 
thirdly,  as  lord  of  state  life;  and,  fourthly,  as  the  father 
of  gods  and  men. 

The  Greeks  believed  that  the  home  of  this  their 
mighty  and  all-powerful  deity  was  on  the  top  of  Mount 
Olympus,  that  high  and  lofty  mountain  between  Thes- 
saly and  Macedon,  whose  summit,  wrapped  in  clouds 
and  mist,  was  hidden  from  mortal  view. 

On  the  snow-capped  summit  of  Olympus  was  the 
palace  of  Zeus  and  Hera,  of  burnished  gold,  chased 
silver,  and  gleaming  ivory. 

In  the  representations  of  Zeus  he  is  always  accom- 
panied by  an  eagle.  This  royal  bird  was  sacred  to  him, 
probably  from  the  fact  of  its  being  the  only  creature 
capable  of  gazing  at  the  sun  without  being  dazzled, 
which  may  have  suggested  the  idea  that  it  was  able 
to  contemplate  the  splendor  of  divine  majesty  unshrink- 
ingly. 

Zeus  had  seven  immortal  wives,  whose  names  were 
Metis,  Themis,  Eurynome,  Demeter,  Mnemosyne,  Seto, 
and  Hera. 


(22) 


In  the  union  of  Zeus  with  most  of  his  immortal 
wives  we  shall  find  that  an  allegorical  meaning  is  con- 
veyed. His  marriage  with  Metis,  who  is  said  to  have 
surpassed  both  gods  and  men  in  knowledge,  represents 
supreme  power  allied  to  wisdom  and  prudence. 

His  union  with  Themis  typifies  the  bond  which  exists 
between  divine  majesty  and  justice,  law  and  order. 

Eurynome,  as  the  mother  of  the  Charities  or  Graces, 
supplied  the  harmonizing  influences  of  grace  and  beauty, 
whilst  the  marriage  of  Zeus  with  Mnemosyne  typifies 
the  union  of  genius  with  memory. 


(23) 


Berens. 


APOLLO  BELVEDERE,  VATICAN. 


' I ''HE  Apollo  Belvedere  is  one  of  the  most  cher- 
ished  objects  of  Art  in  Rome.  It  was  dis- 
covered about  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century 
at  Porto  d’Anzo,  the  ancient  Antium.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  Cardinal  della  Rovere,  afterwards  Pope 
Julius  II.,  and  was  one  of  the  first  specimens  of 
ancient  sculpture  placed  in  the  Belvedere  of  the 
Vatican,  or  Papal  Palace.  It  was  supposed  to  have 
been  originally  placed  in  one  of  the  imperial  baths 
at  Antium. 

Much  diversity  of  opinion  has  existed  concerning 
the  character  in  which  Apollo  is  here  represented, 
and  the  sculptor  by  whom  the  statue  was  produced. 
Visconti  has  suggested  that  it  represents  the  god  in 
his  medical  capacity  after  the  great  plague  at  Athens ; 
while  Winckelmann  thought  that  Apollo  is  here  rep- 
resented as  the  serpent-slayer.  Visconti  once  thought 
that  it  was  made  of  Greek  marble,  and  therefore 

(24) 


most  probably  a Greek  work;  but  it  has  since  been 
determined  that  the  material  is  Carrara  marble,  and 
this  has  led  to  the  conjecture  that  the  statue  was 
wrought  in  * Italy.  Some  writers  have  supposed  that 
Phidias  was  the  sculptor  of  the  original  statue ; 
while  others  attribute  it  to  Ageselaus ; but  it  is  gen- 
erally admitted  that  nothing  decisive  can  be  said  on 
this  point. 

As  to  the  marble  copy  itself,  that  which  is  in  the 
Vatican,  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  wrought  some- 
where about  the  time  of  Nero.  One  writer  observes : 
“We  cannot  assign  the  Apollo  to  any  other  epoch 
but  that  of  the  Roman  emperors,  and  it  seems  the 
most  probable  hypothesis  that  it  was  made  for  Nero 
to  adorn  his  sea  villa  at  Antium.  This  man,  whom 
history  has  represented  to  us  as  a cruel  tyrant,  an 
unnatural  son,  and  the  murderer  of  his  wife,  was 
still  a lover  of  the  arts,  and,  perhaps,  no  mean 
judge  of  them,  as  far  as  we  can  discern  through  that 
cloud  of  abuse  in  which  the  history  of  the  early  em- 
perors is  enveloped.  The  noble  figure  of  the  Apollo, 
perhaps  one  of  the  last  efforts  of  Grecian  art  to 
perfect  the  ideal  form  of  the  Archer  god,  stood  at 
Nero’s  bidding,  in  all  its  beauty,  before  the  master 
of  the  Roman  world.” 

Those  critics  who  agree  that  this  figure  represents 

(27) 


Apollo  in  his  character  as  the  serpent-slayer,  take 
the  idea  from  the  legend  in  which  Apollo  is  de- 
scribed as  shooting  with  his  arrow  the  great  ser- 
pent Python,  one  of  the  terrible  creatures  of  the 
Greek  mythology. 

Knight. 

Lord  Byron  thus  beautifully  alludes  to  this  event, 
and  to  the  statue : — 

“The  lord  of  the  unerring  bow, 

The  god  of  life,  of  poetry  and  light, 

The  sun,  in  human  limbs  arrayed  and  brow 
All  radiant  from  his  triumph  in  the  fight. 

The  shaft  has  just  been  shot ; the  arrow  bright 
With  an  immortal  vengeance ; in  his  eye 
And  nostril,  beautiful,  disdain  and  might 
And  majesty  flash  their  full  lightnings  by, 

Developing  in  that  one  glance  the  Deity.” 

Thiersch  in  his  criticism  on  this  statue  considers 
that  the  moment  here  indicated  is  the  one  which 
the  sculptor  chose  for  representing  the  statue : — 

“ Already  has  he  turned  himself  from  the  left 
side,  in  which  direction  the  arrow  has  sped,  and 
is  moving  off  towards  the  right,  while  his  head  is 
still  directed  towards  his  vanquished  enemy  on  the 

(28) 


left,  to  whom,  while  in  his  flight  and  uttering  the 
words  of  vengeance,  he  gives  a last  look  of  indig- 
nation and  contempt.” 

Visconti  makes  the  following  objection  to  this  opin- 
ion : “ Why  does  not  this  attitude  equally  suit  Apollo 
in  the  act  of  exterminating  the  progeny  of  Niobe?  or 
the  faithless  Coronis,  or  the  imperious  giants?  All 
these  subjects  are  more  worthy  the  vengeance  of  a 
deity  than  the  destruction  of  a reptile ; and  the 
elevated  look  cannot  be  directed  to  an  animal  on 
the  ground.” 

When  this  statue  was  discovered  both  ankles  and 
the  right  leg  were  broken.  The  original  fragments 
were  fortunately  not  lost,  but  they  have  been  joined 
in  so  careless  a manner  as  to  impair,  in  some  de- 
gree, the  action  of  the  figure.  The  left  hand  and 
right  fore  arm  are  modern,  but  are  not  deemed  sat- 
isfactory restorations. 

Knight. 

This  beautiful  and  famous  work  of  art  has  been 
for  ages,  and  still  remains,  one  of  the  greatest  riddles 
of  Archaeology,  and  in  discussing  it  we  have  to  make 
our  way  through  a whole  thicket  of  difficult  and 
thorny  questions.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  ancient 
literature,  and  we  know  neither  its  author  nor  its 

(29) 


age.  Is  it  an  original  or  a copy?  If  a copy,  was 
the  original  of  bronze  or  marble?  Is  the  work  before 
us  of  Greek  or  Italian  marble?  And,  above  all,  what 
is  the  motif  ( concetto ) ? What  is  the  action  in  which 
the  God  is  engaged? 

To  all  these  questions  different  answers  are  still 
given  by  equally  competent  authorities. 

The  opinion  of  those  who  held  that  it  was  not 
an  original  work  of  the  Roman  period  was  sufficiently 
justified  by  the  grandeur  of  the  design,  and  has  been 
completely  confirmed  by  the  discovery  of  another  head 
of  Apollo,  of  Greek  marble,  identical  in  design  and 
even  in  measurement  with  that  of  the  Vatican  statue. 

This  work,  called  the  “ Steinhauser  head”  after  the 
discoverer,  was  found,  a few  years  ago,  in  a magazine 
at  Rome,  and  is  now  at  Basle.  It  is  of  an  earlier 
and  simpler  style  than  the  Vatican  copy , is  far  more 
Greek  in  tone,  and  shows  a fresher  and  purer  feel- 
ing for  organic  structure.  It  may,  therefore,  fairly 
be  regarded  as  standing  nearer  to  the  common  orig- 
inal of  both.  In  regard  to  the  material  of  that 
original  we  have  the  concurrent  opinions  of  an  illus- 
trious artist  and  an  illustrious  archaeologist  — Canova 
and  Brunn  — that  it  was  certainly  bronze  and  not 
marble. 

“ The  artist,  in  order  to  make  it  resemble  bronze  as 

C3<>) 


/ 


much  as  possible,  changes  the  nature  of  marble  by 
giving  it  an  artificial  polish,  and  making  it  produce 
its  effect  as  metal  does  by  a glancing  surface  and 
reflected  and  refracted  lights.” 

But  by  far  the  greatest  interest  attaches  itself  to 
the  question  as  to  the  motif  of  the  statue.  It  is 
quite  evident  that  the  God  is  engaged  in  some  action 
which  would  be  clear  to  us  if  the  hands  had  not 
been  mutilated.  The  theory  that  the  great  “ God  of 
the  silver  bow  ” has  just  discharged  an  arrow  at  the 
Python,  Tityos,  or  the  Niobids,  and  the  interpreta- 
tion that  he  is  the  “ Bringer  of  the  plague,”  shooting 
at  the  Greeks  before  Troy,  who  had  dishonored  his 

holy  prophet  — founded  on  the  restored  bow,  gradually 
prevailed  until,  in  i860,  attention  was  directed  by 
Stephani  to  an  antique  bronze  statuette  of  Apollo , 
rather  less  than  two  feet  high,  in  St.  Petersburg. 

After  passing  through  several  hands  it  came  into  the 
collection  of  Count  Stroganojf  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Its  resemblance  to  the  Vatican  Apollo  is  far  too 

great  to  be  accidental,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt 
that  they  are  both  copies  of  the  same  original  work. 

The  ornamented  sandals  and  the  folds  of  the 

drapery  on  the  breast  are  identical  in  the  two 
statues,  and  where  they  differ  in  details  the  style  of 
the  bronze  is  simpler  and  more  archaic. 

(33) 


The  most  important  feature,  however,  is  the  left 
hand,  which  is  preserved  in  the  bronze,  and  holds, 
not  a bow,  but  an  elastic  substance,  the  bottom  part 
of  which  is  broken  off,  and  which  Stephani  takes  to 
be  the  cegis.  Basing  his  arguments  on  this  discov- 
ery, Preller  first  suggested  that  the  Apollo  Belvedere 
might  be  brought  into  connection  with  the  defeat  of 
the  Gauls  at  Delphi  in  279  B.C.,  on  which  occasion 
several  statues  — two  Apollos,  an  Ath£n£,  and  an 
Artemis  — were  offered  in  the  Temple  of  Apollo  at 
that  place. 

The  reader  will  remember  that  in  this  year  a body 
of  Gauls,  who  had  settled  in  Pannonia  (Hungary), 
broke  into  Greece  under  Brennus.  After  ravaging 
Macedonia,  they  marched  through  Thessaly  to  Ther- 
mopylae, which  once  more  became  the  scene  of  heroic 
patriotism  and  infamous  treachery.  Some  Heracleots 
played  the  part  of  the  foul  villain  Ephialtes  in  the 
old  Persian  days,  and  led  the  Gauls  into  the  country 
by  the  mountain  pass  of  Anopaea.  In  this  emer- 
gency, says  Pausanias,  using  almost  the  very  words 
of  Herodotus,  the  Delphians  applied  to  the  oracle 
for  counsel,  and  asked  whether  they  should  carry 
away  the  property  of  the  temple.  “ I,  myself,”  the 
God  replied,  “ and  the  White  Maidens  (Ath£n§  and 
Artemis),  will  take  care  of  that.”  Encouraged  by 

(34) 


this  promise  of  assistance,  four  thousand  Greeks  stood 
ready  to  defend  the  temple,  but  their  presence  was 
superfluous.  During  the  battle  which  ensued  the 

God  came  through  the  roof  of  his  temple  in  super- 
natural youthful  beauty,  and  the  White  Maidens  came 
forth  from  their  respective  sanctuaries  at  Delphi,  to 
drive  back  the  sacrilegious  barbarians.  A mighty, 
heaven-sent  tempest  arose,  and  rocks  from  the  heights 
of  Parnassus  fell  on  the  heads  of  the  bewildered 
Gauls.  The  twanging  bow  of  Artemis,  the  clashing 
shield  and  spear  of  Ath£n§,  were  heard  above 
the  din  and  storm  of  battle,  and  the  grim  flash  of 
the  awful  Gorgoneion,  on  the  aegis  of  Apollo,  was 
seen  through  the  mists  and  clouds.  The  spectres  of 
departed  heroes  appeared  and  mingled  in  the  fray ; 
the  earth  shook  beneath  the  feet  of  the  astonished 
Gauls,  who  fled  in  dismay,  and  fell  an  easy  prey  to 
the  pursuing  Greeks. 

The  Apollo  Belvedere,  therefore,  may  represent  the 
God,  as,  with  the  proud  consciousness  of  invincibility, 
he  holds  up  the  aegis,  and  marks  with  a mingled 
expression  of  scorn  and  satisfaction  its  terrible  effect 
on  the  ranks  of  the  Gauls.  It  will  naturally  be 

asked  how  Apollo  came  by  the  aegis,  which  is  not 
his  proper  attribute. 

There  is  precedent  even  for  this  in  a passage  in 

(37) 


the  Iliad,  which  records  how  Zeus  intrusted  his  son 
with  the  dreaded  instrument  of  his  wrath : 

“ Take  thou  and  wave  on  high  the  tasselled  shield, 

The  Grecian  warriors  daunting.” 

It  was  therefore  quite  open  to  the  artist  to  repre- 
sent Apollo  in  his  character  of  Boedromios  (the 
helper)  with  the  aegis  of  Zeus  and  the  aspect  of  the 
Vatican  statue,  the  self-reliant,  serenely  contemptuous 
look,  suits  well  the  bearer  of  an  irresistible  weapon. 

This  so-called  “ Gallic  theory  ” is  rendered  the  more 
probable  and  interesting  by  the  fact  of  our  possess- 
ing two  statues,  cognate  in  spirit  and  treatment,  of 
the  White  Maidens , Artemis  and  Ath£n£,  in  the  famous 
Diane  h la  Biche , at  the  Louvre,  and  the  Athene  with 
spear  and  shield  rushing  to  the  attack,  in  the  Capi- 
toline  Museum  at  Rome. 

The  Apollo  Belvedere  is  the  work  of  one  of  those 
genial,  eclectic  copyists  of  the  renaissance  of  Greek 
Art  in  Rome,  who,  having  chosen  his  model  from 
among  the  older  types,  was  not  satisfied  with  merely 
reproducing  it.  He  has  evidently  tried  to  invest  it 
with  the  charm  of  novelty,  by  substituting  for  its 
grand  simplicity  — which  is  partly  preserved  in  the 
Steinhauser  head  — the  ultra-refinement  and  polished 
elegance  which  suited  the  taste  of  his  own  times. 

(38) 


The  technical  execution  of  the  Belvedere  Apollo 
shows  a master’s  hand.  The  artist  was  evidently  in 
possession  of  all  the  knowledge  and  all  the  skill  which 
had  been  accumulated  in  past  ages.  We  see  Lysippus 
in  the  form  and  Praxiteles  in  the  face.  The  noble 
limbs  are  moulded  with  the  ease  and  freedom  which 
are  the  result  of  perfect  mastery,  and  the  proud  and 
beautiful  face,  from  which  the  Muses  drew  their  in- 
spiration, gleams  with  expression  as  he  moves  along 
in  graceful  majesty,  bathed  in  the  purple  light  of 
eternal  youth.  And  yet  the  dainty  beauty  of  the 
Apollo  Belvedere  does  not  stir  the  deepest  springs  of 
emotion  in  those  who  have  the  finest  feeling  for  the 
highest  forms  of  Greek  Art. 

We  find  a difficulty  in  regarding  the  Apollo  Bel- 
vedere as  an  object  of  worship;  for  that  it  is  too 
ornate.  It  is  rather  like  the  embodiment  of  the  day- 
dreams of  a powerful,  bright,  but  somewhat  luxurious 
imagination,  which  is  not  satisfied  with  the  majesty 
of  nature,  the  awful  dignity  of  the  Godhead,  but  must 
invest  its  idol  with  the  external  trappings  of  some 
Prince  of  a fairy  tale.  Such  an  image,  if  worshipped 
at  all,  could  only  be  the  favorite  divinity  of  an  ele-, 
gant  and  sumptuous  court. 


(39) 


Perry. 


Not  till  now  have  we  understood  the  Apollo  Bel- 
vedere. In  unveiled  beauty  we  see  the  elegant  form 
of  the  slender  figure,  the  left  shoulder  only  being 
covered  by  the  chlamys  which  falls  down  over  the 
arm,  which,  far  outstretched,  holds  the  aegis  with  its 
Medusa  head.  The  right  arm  is  slightly  turned  aside, 
but  both  hands  have  been  unskilfully  restored.  The 
attitude  of  the  god  is  full  of  pathos  and  is  con- 
ceived at  a dramatic  moment.  Ardently  excited  and 
filled  with  divine  anger,  with  which  is  mingled  a touch 
of  triumphant  scorn,  the  intellectual  head  is  turned 
sidewards,  while  the  figure,  with  elastic  step,  is  hurry- 
ing forwards.  The  eye  seems  to  shoot  forth  light- 
nings ; there  is  an  expression  of  contempt  in  the 
corners  of  the  mouth,  and  the  distended  nostrils  seem 
to  breathe  forth  divine  anger.  It  is  a bold  attitude 
thus  transfixed  in  marble,  full  of  life-like  and  excited 
action,  indicating,  it  is  true,  a distinct  aiming  at 
theatrical  effect  (this  is  increased  by  the  faulty 
restorations  of  the  hands),  and  therefore  calculated  to 
be  viewed  from  one  aspect. 

The  smooth  sharpness  of  the  form  which  rivals  the 
lustrous  effect  of  the  metal,  and  the  finely  cut  folds 
of  the  slight  chlamys,  indicate  a bronze  original  as 
distinctly  as  does  the  stem  of  the  tree. 

The  bronze  statuette  of  Count  Stroganoff  does  not 

(40) 


exhibit  the  stem  of  the  tree,  and  altogether  in  its 
more  simple  treatment  it  probably  approaches  nearer 
the  original  than  the  Apollo  Belvedere  does,  in  which 
we  perceive  the  intelligent  and  masterly  work  of  a 
Greek  artist  of  the  early  Imperial  period. 

In  the  Steinhauser  head  the  treatment  unquestionably 
is  more  simple,  innocent,  and  fresh ; the  hair  especially 
exhibits  none  of  the  affected  nicety  of  the  Apollo 
Belvedere,  but  displays  more  natural  feeling. 

The  chiselling  is  soft  and  full  of  life,  and  more  in 
accordance  with  marble,  while  the  other,  with  all  its 
finish,  betrays  a striving  after  effect : and  that  indeed 
of  a metal  work.  Equally  little,  however,  can  we  over- 
look the  fact  that  the  master  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere 
remains  unsurpassed  in  the  expression  of  intellectual 
power  and  subjective  excitement. 

The  conjecture  of  Overbeck,  who  imagines  that  the 
Delphic  group  of  the  ALtolians  can  be  restored  in  its 
principal  parts  out  of  the  Apollo  Belvedere,  the  Diana 
at  Versailles,  and  a figure  of  Minerva  hastening  to 
the  combat,  which  is  now  in  the  Capitoline  Museum, 
is  at  the  first  glance  very  pleasing  and  attractive,  and 
is  supported  by  a long-felt  affinity  between  the  Diana 
at  Versailles  and  the  Apollo  Belvedere.  But  it  must, 
however,  on  more  accurate  observation,  be  received 
with  hesitation. 


(40 


The  god  who  would  occupy  the  central  place  is 
represented,  like  the  two  goddesses  at  his  side,  rapidly 
advancing,  for  he  is  touching  the  ground  so  slightly 
with  the  point  of  his  left  foot,  that  to  remain  in  such 
a position  is  not  conceivable.  To  combine,  however, 
three  figures  in  such  an  attitude  seems  to  me  trans- 
gressing the  limit  allowed  to  plastic  art,  and  Overbeck 
himself  raises  a similar  objection  to  the  grouping  of 
an  Apollo  Citharcedus  with  the  Latona  and  Diana,  all 
of  whom  display  the  same  agitated  movement. 

If,  however,  we  may  also  assume  that  the  pictu- 
resque style  of  sculpture  in  the  Diadochae  period  would 
not  have  avoided  such  a transgression  of  the  limits 
of  the  art,  we  have  still  to  consider  whether  such  an 
almost  tautological  attitude  of  three  statues  would  not 
have  considerably  weakened  the  splendid  idea  of  the 
Apollo,  and  whether  such  an  arrangement  could  be 
ascribed  to  an  epoch  which  so  well  understood  effect. 

However  gratifying  it  would  be  if  the  proposed  com- 
bination could  bring  us  an  explanation  of  two  works  of 
sculpture  hitherto  not  fully  understood,  the  doubts  which 
arise  on  the  subject  cannot  be  denied. 

Lilbke. 

So  long  as  the  Vatican  statue  was  generally  held  to 
represent  Apollo  holding  out  the  aegis  to  destroy  an 

(42) 


armed  host  of  enemies  to  Greece,  for  example  the 
Gauls  in  their  descent  upon  Delphi,  wide  scope  was 
offered  to  the  imagination,  and  the  imposing  character 
of  the  statues  was  proportionately  increased. 

This  notion,  however,  was  based  on  the  comparison  of 
a small  bronze  figure  in  St.  Petersburg,  known  as  the 
Stroganoff  Apollo,  which,  it  is  now  argued,  held  in  the 
left  hand  a bow  and  the  end  of  his  mantle,  not  an  <zgis. 

But  since  then  Kieseritzky  gives  a photograph  of 
the  Stroganoff  bronze,  and  argues  decidedly  that  Fur- 
twaengler’s  observations  (the  bow  and  mantle  theory) 
are  entirely  wrong.  The  bronze  has  been  broken  and 
slightly  altered,  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  be  quite  cer- 
tain, but  I confess  to  a feeling  in  favor  of  the  theory 
of  holding  the  end  of  the  mantle  and  a bow. 

Murray. 

The  French  in  1797  took  this  statute  from  the 
Vatican  to  Paris,  but  they  restored  it  in  1815. 

Phcebus-Apollo,  the  god  of  Light,  Prophecy,  Music, 
Poetry,  and  the  Arts  and  Sciences,  is  by  far  the  noblest 
conception  within  the  whole  range  of  Greek  mythology, 
and  his  worship,  which  extended  not  only  to  all  the 
States  of  Greece,  but  also  to  Asia  Minor  and  to  every 
Greek  colony  throughout  the  world,  stands  out  among 
the  most  ancient  and  strongly-marked  features  of  Gre- 

(43) 


cian  history,  and  exerted  a more  decided  influence  over 
the  Greek  nation  that  that  of  any  other  deity,  not  ex- 
cepting Zeus  himself. 

Apollo  was  the  son  of  Zeus  and  Leto,  and  was  born 
beneath  the  shade  of  a palm-tree  on  the  barren  and 
rocky  island  of  Delos.  The  poets  tell  us  that  the 
earth  smiled  when  the  young  god  first  beheld  the 
light  of  day,  and  that  Delos  became  so  proud  and 
exultant  at  the  honor  thus  conferred  upon  her  that 
she  covered  herself  with  golden  flowers. 

Phcebus-Apollo  was  the  god  of  light  in  a twofold 
signification : first,  as  representing  the  great  orb  of  day 
which  illumines  the  world ; and,  secondly,  as  the  heavenly 
light  which  animates  the  soul  of  man. 

With  the  first  beams  of  Apollo’s  genial  light  all 
nature  awakens  to  renewed  life,  and  the  woods  reecho 
with  the  jubilant  sound  of  the  untaught  lays  warbled 
by  thousands  of  feathered  choristers.  Hence,  by  a 
natural  inference,  he  is  the  god  of  music ; and  as,  ac- 
cording to  the  belief  of  the  ancients,  the  inspirations 
of  genius  were  inseparably  connected  with  the  glorious 
light  of  heaven,  he  is  also  the  god  of  poetry,  and 
acts  as  the  special  patron  of  the  arts  and  sciences. 

Apollo  is  himself  the  heavenly  musician  among  the 
Olympic  gods,  and  it  is  in  a great  measure  owing  to 
the  influence  which  the  music  in  his  worship  exercised 

(44) 


on  the  Greek  nation  that  Apollo  came  to  be  regarded 
as  the  leader  of  the  nine  muses,  the  legitimate  divin- 
ities of  poetry  and  song. 

And  now  we  must  view  the  glorious  god  of  light 
under  another  and  (as  far  as  regards  his  influence 
over  the  Greek  nation)  a much  more  important  aspect; 
for,  in  historical  times,  all  the  other  functions  and 
attributes  of  Apollo  sink  into  comparative  insignifi- 
cance before  the  great  power  which  he  exercised  as 
god  of  prophecy.  It  is  true  all  Greek  gods  were 
endowed,  to  a certain  extent,  with  the  faculty  of  fore- 
telling future  events;  but  Apollo,  as  the  sun-god,  was 
the  concentration  of  all  prophetic  power,  as  it  was  sup- 
posed that  nothing  escaped  his  all-seeing  eye,  which 
penetrated  the  hidden  recesses  and  laid  bare  the  secrets 
which  lay  concealed  behind  the  dark  veil  of  the  future. 

Apollo  is  represented  by  the  poets  as  being  eter- 
nally young;  his  countenance,  glowing  with  joyous  life, 
is  the  embodiment  of  immortal  beauty ; his  eyes  are 
of  a deep  blue ; his  forehead  low,  but  broad  and 
intellectual ; his  hair,  which  falls  over  his  shoulders 
in  long,  waving  locks,  is  of  a golden  or  warm  chest- 
nut hue.  He  is  crowned  with  laurel,  and  wears  a 
purple  robe.  In  his  hand  he  bears  his  silver  bow, 
which  is  unbent  when  he  smiles,  but  ready  for  use 
when  he  menaces  evil-doers. 


(45) 


Berens. 


THE  BELVEDERE  TORSO,  VATICAN. 


TT  is  a striking  proof  of  the  value  placed  upon 
fine  sculpture  that  a fragment  of  a male  figure, 
without  a head,  without  arms,  and  with  stumps  of 
legs  broken  off  at  the  knee,  should  be  known  through- 
out Europe  as  The  Torso , and  regarded  as  an  impor- 
tant prize  in  the  collection  which  contains  it.  It  was 
discovered  near  Pompey’s  Theatre,  now  Campo  di 
Fiore,  about  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  It  was 
first  placed  in  the  gardens  of  the  Vatican,  whence  it 
was  removed  into  the  Belvedere  of  the  same  build- 
ing, at  which  time  it  obtained  the  name  of  the  Torso 
Belvedere. 

The  Torso  is  supposed  to  be  a part  of  a statue 
of  Hercules  deified,  or  in  repose  after  his  labors. 

Antiquaries  conjecture  that  this  fragment  is  what 
remains  of  a group  of  Hercules  in  the  moment  ol 
his  deification  on  Mount  Aetas ; and  there  are  indi- 
cations, on  close  examination,  that  another  figure  was 

(46) 


placed  at  his  left  hand.  Winckelmann  thought  that  it 
had  the  left  hand  over  the  head,  but  Visconti  con- 
tends that  the  arm  surrounded  some  other  figure. 
The  fragment  is  on  a rude  sort  of  plinth,  with  a 
Greek  inscription  to  indicate  that  it  was  sculptured  by 
Apollonius,  son  of  Nestor  of  Athens. 

The  Torso  of  Hercules  has  been  regarded  with  the 
highest  admiration  by  artists.  Michael  Angelo  con- 
templated it  with  enthusiasm,  and  copied  it  with  suc- 
cess. He  declared  that  in  it  were  combined  all  the 
excellencies  of  antique  sculpture ; he  designated  him- 
self its  pupil,  and  said  that  he  was  indebted  to  it 
for  his  power  in  representing  the  human  form.  Winck- 
elmann considered  that  this  Torso  approached  nearer 
to  the  sublime  than  the  Apollo  Belvedere. 

Knight. 

According  to  Heyne,  with  whom  Winckelmann  in 
the  main  agrees,  the  Belvedere  Torso  is  a more  or 
less  reproduction  of  the  Heracles  Epitrapezios  of  Lysip- 
pus, and  we  incline  to  this  interpretation  as  the  most 
consonant  to  the  spirit  of  the  age  in  which  it  was 
produced,  and,  indeed,  the  only  one  against  which 
unspeakable  objections  may  not  be  raised.  Visconti, 
with  a laudable  regard  for  the  divine  hero’s  happi- 
ness, provides  him  with  a suitable  companion.  He 

(49) 


bases  his  restoration  on  the  famous  Florentine  gem 
called  Teucer , in  which  Heracles  is  grouped  with 
Hebe,  his  immortal  spouse. 

This  theory  appears  to  have  recommended  itself 
for  a time  to  men  of  the  highest  authority,  but  the 
experiments  of  Flaxman  in  1793,  and  of  Gerichau 
and  Cornelius  in  Rome  in  1845,  have  proved  the 
utter  impossibility  of  bringing  the  Torso  into  the 
proposed  relation  to  another  figure.  We  may  therefore 
confidently  regard  the  hero  as  seated  alone , enjoying 
the  repose  to  which  his  long  career  of  toil  and  dan- 
ger had  given  both  the  right  and  the  zest.  There 
is  a mark  on  the  left  thigh,  where  it  was  touched  by 
his  club,  and  on  this  the  hero  rested  his  left  hand, 
bending  his  body  to  the  right,  and  holding  a can- 
tharus  in  his  right  hand. 

Yet  even  as  a li  Heracles  at  rest  ” he  has  been  re- 
garded in  two  different  lights.  “ Heracles,”  says 
Winckelmann,  “ is  represented  as  he  ought  to  be,  when, 
having  been  purified  by  fire  from  all  human  weakness, 
and  become  immortal,  he  obtains  the  right  to  take 
his  seat  among  the  Gods.” 

Stephani,  on  the  other  hand,  while  he  accepts  the 
proposed  attitude  of  rest,  regards  it  not  as  the  bliss- 
ful repose  of  eternal  blessedness,  but  the  momentary 
pause  between  past  and  future  toils  and  sufferings. 

(50) 


“ The  hero,”  he  says,  “ after  allowing  his  head  to 
rest  for  a time  on  this  support,  raises  it  again  with 
difficulty,  and  looks  up  with  anxious  despair  to  his 
father,  Zeus,  for  help  in  his  terrible  affliction.” 

Winckelmann  says,  “ The  excellent  and  noble  form 
of  so  perfect  a nature  seems  clothed  with  immortality. 
We  no  longer  see  the  body  which  fought  wild  beasts  and 
monsters,  but  that  which  on  Mount  CEta  was  cleansed 
from  the  dross  of  humanity.  . . . His  body  is  fed 

by  no  mortal  food,  but  by  that  of  the  Gods,  and  he 
seems  only  to  enjoy  and  not  to  receive,  and  to  be 
satisfied  without  being  filled.” 

Scarcely  less  decided  is  the  praise  accorded  to  the 
torso  by  the  great  critic  and  artist  Mengs. 

Both  these  great  writers  remark  on  the  curious  fact 
that  the  veins  are  not  represented  in  the  torso,  which 
they  regard  as  a proof  that  the  artist  intended  to  exhibit 
a glorified  body  which  no  longer  needed  sustenance. 

All  marks  of  the  tool  are  carefully  erased,  and  the 
surface  of  the  skin  worked  up  to  a velvet-like, 
unctuous  smoothness  and  a sensitive  delicacy,  hardly 
in  accordance  with  the  nature  of  the  rude,  laborious 
demigod.  We  may,  indeed,  suppose,  with  Winckel- 

mann, that  he  has  exchanged  his  terrestrial  for  a 
celestial  body. 


(53) 


Perry. 


LEGEND. 


Hercules,  the  most  famous  of  all  demigods,  was  the 
son  of  Jupiter  and  Alcmene.  When  still  a babe  in 
the  cradle,  Juno,  who  hated  his  mother,  sent  two 
enormous  serpents  to  kill  the  child.  Hercules,  wak- 
ing suddenly  from  his  sleep,  seized  a snake  in  each 
hand,  and,  before  his  frightened  cry  could  summon 
his  mother  to  his  side,  he  strangled  them  both.  He 
was  carefully  educated  by  his  step-father,  Amphitryon, 
and  was  taught  to  drive  a chariot,  to  handle  a bow, 
to  wrestle,  to  box,  and  to  play  on  the  lyre.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  made  a solemn  choice,  and 
determined  to  follow  the  path  of  virtue  and  honor, 
and  to  give  all  his  powers  to  the  service  of  his 
country.  His  first  exploit  after  this  was  to  rid  the 
neighborhood  of  his  rural  home  of  a ferocious  lion 
which  was  the  terror  of  the  whole  country.  The  skin 
of  this  monster  he  always  wore  over  his  shoulders, 
and  the  head  of  the  lion  he  used  for  a helmet. 

By  reason  of  the  machinations  of  Juno  he  was 
made  to  serve  Eurystheus,  his  cousin,  for  whom  he 
performed  twelve  labors,  in  each  of  which  he  dis- 
played superhuman  power  and  strength.  His  first 
task  was  to  kill  the  Nemean  lion,  of  whose  skin  he 

(54) 


made  himself  a coat  of  mail,  and  of  whose  head  he 
formed  a new  helmet  for  himself. 

Next  he  slew  the  Hydra  of  Lerna,  an  enormous  ser- 
pent, having  nine  heads,  one  of  which  was  immortal. 

His  third  labor  was  to  capture  the  hind  with  golden 
horns  and  brazen  hoofs,  which  was  sacred  to  Diana. 

The  fourth  task  was  to  bring  alive  to  Eurystheus 
the  Erymanthian  Boar,  which  was  the  scourge  of 
Erymanthia  and  of  all  the  surrounding  country. 

Next  he  cleansed,  in  one  day,  the  stables  of 
Augeas,  King  of  Elis.  Three  thousand  oxen  had 

been  sheltered  here  for  thirty  years,  and  during  that 
time  the  stables  had  never  been  cleansed. 

His  sixth  labor  was  to  chase  away  the  immense 
birds  of  prey  that  lived  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Stymphalis,  in  Arcadia,  and  who  fed  on  human  flesh. 

His  seventh  was  to  capture  the  Wild  Bull  of 
Crete.  This  he  did  so  successfully  that  he  tamed 
the  fierce  animal  and  fearlessly  rode  upon  his  back. 

The  eighth  task  was  to  bring  to  Eurystheus  the 
mares  of  Diomedes,  whose  food  consisted  of  human 
flesh.  Hercules  gave  them  their  master,  Diomedes, 
for  a meal,  and  then  they  became  tame  and  man- 
ageable. 

The  next  labor  was  more  romantic  in  its  nature. 
It  was  to  steal  from  Hippolyte,  queen  of  the  Ama- 

(55) 


zons,  her  beautiful  girdle,  as  Eurystheus  desired  it  for 
a gift  to  his  daughter  Admete. 

The  tenth  labor,  and  the  last,  as  Hercules  thought, 
was  to  capture  the  oxen  belonging  to  the  Giant 
Geryon,  who  lived  in  the  island  of  Erythia.  But 
when  this  was  accomplished  Eurystheus  refused  to 
count  the  killing  of  the  Hydra  and  the  cleansing  of 
the  Augean  Stables  as  belonging  to  the  ten  labors 
he  had  exacted  of  Hercules,  so  he  compelled  the  hero 
to  substitute  two  others  in  place  of  these. 

Hercules  accordingly  submitted  to  being  further 
imposed  upon,  and  undertook,  as  the  eleventh  task, 
to  bring  the  golden  apples  from  the  garden  of  Hes- 
perides,  and  concluded  his  extraordinary  exploits  by 
bringing  alive  from  Hades,  Cerberus,  the  three-headed 
dog  of  Hell,  and  thereby  won  his  freedom  from  the 
tyranny  of  Eurystheus. 

Unable  to  endure  the  agonies  caused  by  the 
poisoned  robe  sent  him  by  his  wife,  Deianeira,  to  test 
his  love  for  her,  he  built  himself  a funeral  pyre, 
and  as  the  flames  from  it  ascended  to  heaven  Pallas 
Athene  came  down  on  a cloud,  and  bore  her  favorite 
hero  in  a chariot  to  Olympus,  where  he  took  his 
place  among  the  immortals;  and  Juno,  in  token  of 
her  reconciliation,  gave  him  in  marriage  her  daughter, 
Hebe,  the  goddess  of  eternal  youth. 

(56) 


THE  LAOCOON,  VATICAN. 


LIE  Laocoon,  or  Laocoon  and  his  Sons,  forms 


-*■  one  of  the  most  celebrated  groups  preserved 
from  ancient  times.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  painfully 
interesting  of  all,  from  the  deep  pathos  with  which 
the  story  is  told.  This  group  was  found  on  the 
Vigna  de  Fredis  at  Rome,  in  1506,  during  the  pontifi- 
cate of  Julius  II.,  who  richly  rewarded  the  discoverer. 
Michael  Angelo,  who  was  in  Rome  at  the  time  of 
the  discovery,  called  this  group  the  wonder  of  Art, 
and  the  whole  city  was  in  a state  of  excitement  for 
some  time,  arising  out  of  this  notable  event. 

Pliny  describes  a group  of  the  Laocoon  which  stood 
in  the  palace  of  the  Emperor  Titus,  and  this  group 
is  believed  to  be  the  one  now  at  Rome.  Pliny  spoke 
of  the  whole  group's  having  been  wrought  out  of 
one  block  of  marble,  but  Michael  Angelo  showed 
that  it  was  in  three  pieces,  the  sons  on  the  Left  hand 
being  in  one  piece,  the  upper  part  of  Laocoon  him- 
self in  a second,  and  the  rest  of  the  group  in  a third. 


(59) 


The  right  arm  of  the  father  and  those  of  the  two 
children  are  restorations,  and  Canova  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  right  arm  of  the  Laocoon  is  not  in 
its  original  position.  Two  or  three  Italian  sculptors 
were  employed  in  suggesting  restorations  of  Laocoon’s 
arm ; but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  original  idea  has 
been  correctly  worked  out.  Ever  since  its  discovery, 
more  than  three  centuries  and  a half  ago,  this  group  has 
been  one  of  the  most  cherished  objects  in  the  Vatican. 

The  story  of  Laocoon  and  his  sons  is  one  of  the 
myths  of  Greek  art  and  poetry.  Virgil  treated  it  in 
his  .Eneid  in  the  manner  of  which  the  following  is 
Dryden’s  translation : — 

“ Laocoon,  Neptune’s  priest  by  lot  that  year, 

With  solemn  pomp  then  sacrificed  a steer; 

When,  dreadful  to  behold,  from  sea  he  spied 
Two  serpents  ranked  abreast  the  seas  divide, 

And  smoothly  sweep  along  the  swelling  tide. 

Their  flaming  crests  above  the  waves  they  show, 

Their  bellies  seem  to  burn  the  waves  below; 

Their  speckled  tails  advance  to  steer  their  course, 

And  on  the  sounding  shore  the  flying  billows  force. 

And  now  the  strand,  and  now  the  plains  they  held, 

Their  ardent  eyes  with  bloody  streaks  were  filled ; 

Their  nimble  tongues  they  brandished  as  they  came, 

And  licked  their  hissing  jaws  that  spluttered  flame. 

We  fled  amazed,  their  destined  way  they  take, 

And  to  Laocoon  and  his  children  make  ; 

(6o) 


And  first  around  the  tender  boys  they  bind, 

Then  with  their  sharpen’d  fangs  their  limbs  and  bodies  grind. 
The  wretched  father,  running  to  their  aid, 

With  furious  haste,  but  vain,  they  next  invade ; 

Thrice  round  his  waist  their  winding  volumes  roll’d, 

And  twice  around  his  gasping  throat  they  fold. 

The  priest  thus  doubly  chok’d  their  crests  divide, 

And  towering  o’er  his  head  in  triumph  ride.” 

There  has  been  some  controversy  whether  the  group  now 
at  Rome  was  taken  from  Virgil’s  description,  or  whether 
Virgil  wrote  from  the  sculpture,  or  whether  both  poet 
and  sculptor  worked  independently  from  a legend  com- 
mon to  both ; but  this  is  a matter  of  not  much  moment. 

In  the  sculpture  the  serpents  are  seen  twining  about 
the  bodies  of  Laocoon  and  his  two  sons ; and  the 
most  extraordinary  skill  is  shown  in  representing  the 
contortions  occasioned  by  this  terrible  attack. 

Lord  Byron,  in  his  “ Childe  Harold,”  thus  spoke 
of  the  scene  represented  : — 

“ Or  turning  to  the  Vatican,  go  see 
Laocoon’s  torture  dignifying  pain, 

A father’s  love  and  mortal  agony 

With  an  immortal  patience  blending  — vain 
The  struggle;  vain,  against  the  coiling  strain 
And  gripe,  and  deepening  of  the  dragon’s  grasp, 

The  old  man’s  clench ; the  long  envenomed  chain 
Rivets  the  living  links,  the  enormous  asp 
Enforces  fang  on  fang,  and  stifles  gasp  on  gasp.” 

( 61  ) 


The  form  of  Laocoon  is  of  the  most  robust  man- 
liness, almost  beyond  what  is  met  in  nature ; but  it 

has  been  objected  to  the  two  boys  that  they  more 
nearly  resemble  little  men  than  boys,  from  their 

features  and  general  figure.  The  appearance  of 
agony  and  suffering  on  the  part  of  the  father  is  in- 
tense, so  much  so,  indeed,  that  critics  have  made 

objections  to  it. 

One  writer  says,  “ The  agony  is  that  of  despair ; 
there  is  nothing  like  the  resistance  of  true  courage ; 
nor  does  there  appear  to  us,  in  the  position  of  the 
serpent  which  is  attacking  the  father,  any  sufficient 
cause  for  the  total  despair  with  which  he  is  over- 

whelmed.” 

That  the  sculptors  have  not  represented  with 

accuracy  the  mode  in  which  such  enormous  serpents 
attack  their  prey,  may  perhaps  be  considered  a 
weak  objection;  but  we  must  maintain,  that  the 

mode  in  which  serpents  of  the  boa  class  encircle 
their  victim  would  have  been  more  in  harmony  with 
the  total  abandonment  exhibited  by  Laocoon,  while 
he  still  seems  to  have  so  much  strength  to  resist. 

The  description  of  Virgil  contains  both  more  truth 
and  feeling  than  the  work  of  the  sculptors. 

It  is  another  objection  to  this  group,  and  not  a 
bad  one,  that  the  father  is  so  absorbed  in  his  own 

(62) 


sufferings  as  to  pay  no  regard  to  those  of  his  sons. 
The  one  on  the  left  has  not  yet  felt  the  deadly 
bite  by  which  the  artists  probably  supposed  the 
father’s  strength  to  be  at  once  paralyzed.  He  turns 
an  imploring  look  to  his  agonized  parent,  but  in 
vain.  The  other  son  is  already  feeling  the  fatal 
wound;  in  his  anguish  he  raises  one  arm,  and  with 
the  other  tries  in  vain  to  arrest  his  deadly  enemy. 

The  monster,  which  has  wound  around  his  father’s 
manly  limbs,  has  compressed  with  his  enormous  folds 
the  child’s  more  tender  frame,  and  nothing  can  be  more 
faithfully  expressed  than  the  utter  helplessness  and 
deprivation  of  all  strength  which  we  see  in  the  ex- 
tremities of  the  boy’s  body. 

A great  deal  of  discussion  has  arisen  between 
critics  as  to  whether  the  sculptor  intended  to  rep- 
resent Laocoon  as  uttering  any  kind  of  cry  or  shriek. 

Virgil,  in  one  part  of  his  description,  makes  Laocoon 
“ roar  like  a bull  ” with  pain ; but  Mr.  Payne  Knight 
gives  the  preference  to  the  sculpture  in  this  respect 
as  being  more  dignified,  seeing  that  the  expansion 
of  the  chest  and  the  compression  of  the  throat  show 
that  he  is  making  a resolute  effort  to  suffer  in 
silence. 

But  Sir  Charles  Bell,  while  admitting  the  correct- 
ness of  the  criticism,  as  a matter  of  fact,  argues, 

(63) 


from  anatomical  considerations,  that  Laocoon  could 
not  roar  like  a bull,  he  being  at  the  time  very 
differently  employed. 

The  design  of  the  sculptor  was  to  represent  cor- 
poreal exertion ; the  attitude  and  struggle  of  the 
body  and  of  the  arms,  while  the  slightly  parted  lips 
show  that  no  breath  escapes,  or  at  most  a low 
hollow  groan.  He  could  not  “ roar  like  a bull,”  he 
had  not  power  to  put  his  breath  out  in  the  very 
moment  of  the  great  exertions  of  his  arms  to  un- 
twist the  serpent  which  is  coiled  around  him.  It  is 
a mistake  to  suppose  that  the  suppressed  voice, 
and  the  consent  of  the  features  with  the  exertion  of 
the  frame,  proceed  from  an  effort  of  the  mind  to 
sustain  his  pain  in  dignified  silence ; in  this  condi- 
tion of  the  arms,  the  instant  that  the  chest  is  de- 
pressed to  vociferate  a bellow,  the  muscles  arising 
from  the  ribs  and  inserted  into  the  arm  bones  must 
be  relaxed,  and  the  exertion  of  the  arms  becomes 
feeble. 

Again,  in  shrieking  or  exclaiming,  a consent  runs 
through  all  the  respiratory  muscles ; those  of  the 
mouth  and  throat  combine  with  those  that  move 
the  chest. 

Had  the  sculpture  represented  Laocoon  as  if  the 
sound  flowed  from  his  open  mouth,  there  would 

(64) 


have  been  a strange  inconsistency  with  the  elevated 
condition  of  his  breast. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  on  the  question 
whether  or  not  the  sculptors  of  this  group  did  right 
to  represent  Laocoon  wholly  undraped.  The  mode  in 
which  Quatremere  de  Quincy  treats  this  subject  is 
as  follows : — 

“Laocoon,  say  some,  was  a priest  of  Apollo,  and 
was  offering  a sacrifice  when  the  serpents  attacked 
him.  The  artist  has,  in  this  case,  sinned  against  his- 
torical truth  and  verisimilitude  by  representing  a high- 
priest  as  naked  in  the  exercise  of  his  function. 

“ According  to  others  the  artist  would  be  entitled  to 
change  the  instant  and  place  of  the  occurrence.  As 
custom,  say  they,  required  that  the  priest  should 

purify  himself  in  the  bath  previous  to  the  sacrifice, 

it  may  be  supposed  that  it  was  then  that  Laocoon 

is  attacked  by  the  serpents.  But  enough  of  this 

fruitless  controversy ! The  sculptor  of  Laocoon  has 

represented  him  naked  because  he  was  neither  the 
annalist  nor  chronicler  of  the  Trojan  War;  because 
he  rather  chose  to  be  the  historian  of  nature,  and 
of  the  impressions  that  the  scene  so  tragic  was 
calculated  to  produce. 

“Laocoon  is  naked  because  without  nudity  the  artist 
could  but  feebly  have  represented  that  terrific  and 

(65) 


piteous  spectacle  afforded  by  the  contraction  of  every 
part  of  a body  a prey  to  every  excruciating  pain, 
because  the  stings  and  tightening  coils  of  the  serpents 
would  have  had  less  effect  on  a clothed  body,  and 
would  have  produced  a feeble  effect  on  the  spectator. 
Finally,  Laocoon  is  naked  because  the  artist  had  it 
not  so  much  in  view  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of 
the  tragical  death,  supposing  it  true,  of  the  high- 
priest  of  the  Trojans,  as  to  show  the  power  of  imi- 
tation and  the  triumph  of  art,  in  the  expression  of 
the  direst  agonies  of  the  mind  and  body.” 

Knight. 

To  Agesandrus  and  his  sons,  Polydorus  and  Atheno- 
dorus,  we  owe  one  of  the  most  celebrated  works  of 
antiquity. 

Pliny  says : “ These  very  excellent  artists  of  Rhodes, 
Agesander,  Polydorus,  and  Athenodorus,  made  de  con- 
silii  sententia  of  one  stone  Laocoon  himself,  his 
children,  and  the  wonderful  folds  of  the  serpents.” 
. . . He  lays  great  stress  on  the  fact  that  the 
group  was  made  in  one  block.  If  we  are  to  under- 

stand this  literally,  it  will  settle  the  question  whether 
we  have  the  original  or  a copy  before  us,  as  the 
Vatican  work  is  composed  of  six  pieces. 

In  Virgil’s  poem  the  sons  are  both  killed,  and 

(66) 


killed  before  the  father;  in  the  group  they  are  all 
three  alive  and  united  before  the  altar.  Here  it  is 
the  father  who  is  the  first  victim,  and  it  is  not  at  all 
certain  that  the  elder  son  will  be  killed  at  all. 

We  must  look,  therefore,  to  some  other  poem  as 
the  guide  of  the  sculptors.  This,  in  the  opinion  of 
very  high  authorities,  may  be  found  in  the  Iliupersis 
(Sack  of  Troy)  of  the  old  Cyclic  poet,  Arctinus  of 
Miletus. 

Gothe,  who  made  the  Laocoon  a subject  of  care- 
ful study,  remarks  that  the  condition  of  the  three 
figures  is  represented  in  regular  gradation. 

“ The  elder  son  is  only  lightly  entangled  at  the 
extremities ; the  younger  is  tightly  bound  by  many 
coils ; the  father  tries  to  free  himself  and  his  children, 
squeezes  the  serpent,  and  it  bites  him.” 

“We  have  here,”  he  says  in  another  place,  “rep- 
resentations by  which  the  three  emotions  of  horror, 
pity,  and  fear  are  all  roused : horror  at  the  terrible 
sufferings  and  impending  fate  of  the  father,  pity  for 
the  poor,  weak,  younger  son,  and  fear,  which  implies 
hope,  for  the  elder,  who  may  yet  free  himself.  ” 

This  suggestion  of  Gothe  respecting  the  last  was 
taken  up  by  the  late  eminent  archaeologist,  Stark, 
who  justifies  it  by  a passage  from  Arctinus,  unknown 
to  Gothe  and  Lessing,  in  which  the  latter  says 

(67) 


that  “ the  serpents  destroyed  Laocoon  and  one  of  the 
sons!' 

The  genuine,  unselfish  grief  of  the  elder  son  for 
his  afflicted  father  brings  a soothing  element  of 
pathos  into  the  scene;  and  the  hope  that  one  of  the 
three,  at  least,  may  escape,  throws  a ray  of  light 
across  the  dark  picture  of  mere  physical  suffering. 

Perry. 

On  the  steps  of  the  altar,  which  serve  the  group 
as  a base,  destruction  has  at  one  blow  overtaken  the 
father  and  his  two  sons.  The  magnificent  figure  of  the 
father  is  falling  on  the  altar,  for  one  serpent  has  just 
inflicted  a furious  bite  in  his  side,  which  must  be 
fatal,  for  Laocoon,  contracted  with  pain,  and  throwing 
back  his  head,  gives  vent  to  an  agonized  groan  from 
his  parted  lips.  His  body  is  convulsively  contracted 
and  the  projecting  chest  heaves  with  the  excess  of 
misery;  his  right  hand  (incorrectly  restored)  is  grasp- 
ing the  back  of  his  head  in  the  overwhelming  agony 
of  death,  while  the  left  hand  is  still  mechanically 
endeavoring  to  remove  the  serpent. 


(68) 


Lubke. 


APOXYOMENOS  (SCRAPING  OFF) 
VATICAN. 


POXYOMENOS,  scraping  himself  with  the  strigil 


after  a contest  in  the  arena. 

Of  this  work  we  have  a splendid  copy  found  by 
Canina  in  1849  in  the  Trastevere  at  Rome,  and  now 
in  the  Braccio  Nuovo  of  the  Vatican. 

The  bronze  original  was  greatly  admired  in  Rome. 

Agrippa,  who  probably  brought  it  from  Greece, 
placed  it  in  front  of  his  public  baths,  and  Tiberius 
was  so  charmed  with  it  that  he  had  it  removed  by 
an  arbitrary  act  of  power  to  his  own  house,  and 
substituted  another  statue ; whereupon  the  people 
in  the  theatre  demanded  it  back  with  so  much  per- 
sistence and  audacity  that  the  wily  emperor  yielded  to 
the  storm,  and  restored  it  to  its  former  place.  The 
Vatican  copy  of  this  magnificent  work  is  well  pre- 
served, and  has  all  the  characteristics  of  the  style  of 
Lysippus.  The  head  is  small,  the  figure  slim  and 


( 71 ) 


tall,  and  the  face  is  of  the  new  North  Grecian 
(Macedonian)  type,  which  Lysippus  chose  as  better 
suited  for  the  expression  of  individual  feelings  than 
the  pure  Greek  ideal. 

The  difference  is  seen  particularly  in  the  nose,  which 
rises  a little  at  the  end  and  resembles  that  of  the 
busts  of  Alexander  himself.  The  style  of  this  beauti- 
ful work,  which  is  perfectly  free  from  all  archaic  con- 
ventionality and  restraint,  shows  that  the  artist  has 
copied  nature  alone ; the  hair  especially  is  thrown 
about  in  a very  easy  and  natural  manner. 

The  very  nature  of  his  occupation  implies  a con- 
tinual change  of  posture,  and  we  see  from  the  posi- 
tion of  the  feet  that  the  attitude  is  accidental  and 
momentary,  and  one  of  a series  of  graceful  move- 
ments. 

The  face,  which  is  simple  and  agreeable,  wears  an 
expression  of  gentle  satisfaction  arising  from  the  con- 
templation of  past  labor  successfully  accomplished. 

The  Apoxyomenos  is  a grand  example  of  the  genre 
style  in  its  highest  form. 


(72) 


Perry . 


ARIADNE  DESERTED,  VATICAN. 


‘HE  motif  of  this  statue  was  taken  from  a paint- 


ing  in  the  theatre  of  Bacchus  in  Athens,  in 
which  Theseus  was  represented  as  mounting  his  bark 
to  depart  while  the  head  of  the  thiasos  of  Dionysus 
(Bacchus)  is  just  appearing  in  the  background. 

The  statue  probably  formed  part  of  a group,  of 
which  the  best  idea  may  be  gained  from  a relief  close 
by  it  in  the  Galleria  delle  Statue,  No.  416.  The  beau- 
tiful heroine’s  dreams  are  not  peaceful,  and  her  rest- 
lessness is  expressed  in  the  tumbled  drapery.  The 
treatment  is  pictorial,  and  there  is  a want  of  clearness 
in  many  of  the  details  of  the  dress  which  seems  to 
arise  from  a too  close  adherence  to  the  painted  orig- 
inal. It  is  difficult  to  distinguish  between  chiton  and 
himation,  just  above  the  feet,  which  in  the  painting 
would  be  easy  enough. 

A replica  of  this  statue  will  be  found  in  the  Palazzo 
Pitti  at  Florence. 


(75) 


This  figure  is  best  known  under  the  name  of  Cleo- 
patra. 

Lying  on  the  rocks  of  Naxos,  where  the  perfidious 
Theseus  had  abandoned  her,  Ariadne  is  here  repre- 
sented sleeping. 

Such  is  the  moment  when  Bacchus,  perceiving  her, 
became  enamored  of  her. 

Her  tunic,  slightly  detached,  and  her  veil  thrown 
negligently  over  her  head,  and  the  disorder  of  the 
drapery  about  her,  all  testify  to  the  anguish  which  pre- 
ceded this  moment  of  outward  calm. 

On  the  upper  part  of  the  left  arm  may  be  seen  a 
bracelet  in  the  form  of  a little  serpent.  This  brace- 
let, taken  for  a veritable  asp,  caused  many  to  think 
for  a long  time  that  this  figure  represented  Cleopatra. 

This  statue  is  of  Parian  marble,  and  for  three  hun- 
dred years  was  the  principal  ornament  of  the  Belve- 
dere of  the  Vatican,  where  Julius  II.  had  it  placed, 
and  it  gave  its  name  to  the  grand  corridor  built  by 
Bramante. 

August  Legrand. 

This  statue  was  taken  to  Paris  by  the  French,  and 
was  placed  in  the  Louvre ; but  after  the  victory  of 
Waterloo,  in  1815,  it  was  restored  to  Rome,  and  may 
now  be  found  in  the  Vatican. 

(76) 


LEGEND. 


Ariadne  was  the  daughter  of  Minos,  King  of  Crete. 
When  Theseus,  with  the  offerings  of  the  Athenians 
for  the  Minotaur,  landed  in  Crete,  Ariadne  conceived 
a passion  for  the  beautiful  stranger,  and  gave  him  a 
clew  by  means  of  which  he  threaded  the  mazes  of 
the  labyrinth,  and  was  enabled  to  slay  the  monster. 
For  this  service  Theseus  promised  to  marry  her,  and 
she  escaped  with  him  to  the  Island  of  Naxos. 

Chambers'  Encyclopedia. 

Arrived  at  the  Island  of  Naxos,  Theseus  had  a 
dream  in  which  Dionysus,  the  wine-god,  appeared  to 
him,  and  informed  him  that  the  Fates  had  decreed 
that  Ariadne  should  be  his  bride,  at  the  same  time 
menacing  the  hero  with  all  kinds  of  misfortunes 
should  he  refuse  to  resign  her.  Now,  Theseus,  having 
been  taught  from  his  youth  to  reverence  the  gods, 
feared  to  disobey  the  wishes  of  Dionysus.  He  accord- 
ingly took  a sad  farewell  of  the  beautiful  maiden  who 
so  tenderly  loved  him. 

When  Dionysus  landed  at  Naxos,  he  found  Ariadne 
lying  fast  asleep  on  a rock,  worn  out  with  sorrow 
and  weeping.  Wrapt  in  admiration,  the  god  stood 

(79) 


gazing  at  the  beautiful  vision  before  him,  and  when 
she  at  length  unclosed  her  eyes  he  revealed  himself 
to  her,  and,  in  gentle  tones,  sought  to  banish  her 
grief.  Grateful  for  his  kind  sympathy,  coming  as  it 
did  at  a moment  when  she  deemed  herself  forsaken 
and  friendless,  she  gradually  regained  her  former 
serenity,  and,  yielding  to  his  entreaties,  consented  to 
become  his  wife. 

Berens. 

The  wedding  present  which  Dionysus  gave  to 
Ariadne  was  a crown  set  with  gems  of  priceless 
value.  When  Ariadne  died,  Dionysus  threw  her  crown 
into  the  heavens,  where  it  now  blazes  as  a diadem  of 
stars  “ between  the  kneeling  Hercules  and  the  man 
who  holds  the  serpent.” 


( 80 ) 


AMAZON,  VATICAN. 


CCORDING  to  the  myth,  the  Amazons,  after 


they  had  been  defeated  by  Dionysus,  fled  to 
the  sanctuary  of  Artemis  in  Ephesus,  which  they 
themselves  had  founded. 

Pliny,  who  seems  to  accept  the  fable,  relates  that 
the  most  celebrated  sculptors  of  the  age  were  invited 
to  compete  with  a statue  of  a female  warrior  for  this 
temple.  In  this  competition,  if  it  ever  took  place, 

Polycleitus  obtained  the  first  prize,  because  each  of 
his  rivals  assigned  to  him  the  second  place.  Pheidias 
is  said  to  have  stood  second,  Cresilas  third,  and 
Phradmon  fourth.  We  have  several  statues  which  are 
supposed  to  be  copies  of  the  works  of  the  three 
first-mentioned  artists,  and  they  resemble  one  another 
very  closely  in  size,  attitude,  and  drapery,  and  in  a 
certain  air  of  weakness  and  depression  indicative  of 
their  defeat. 

The  statue  of  Cresilas  represented  an  “Amazon 


(83) 


wounded  and  fainting."  To  this  description  the  well- 
known  figure  in  the  Capitoline  Museum  closely  corre- 
sponds, both  in  the  wound  beneath  the  breast  and 
the  pathetic  expression  of  the  face,  and  we  are  fully 
justified  in  regarding  it  as  a copy  of  the  work  of 
Cresilas. 

Of  the  second  work,  that  of  Pheidias,  the  so-called 
Mattei  Amazon  in  the  Vatican,  is,  with  considerable 
probability,  supposed  to  be  a reproduction  in  marble. 

We  know  that  the  original  bronze  figure  was  lean- 
ing on  a spear,  and  although  the  arms  of  the 
Mattei  figure  are  restored,  it  is  evident  that  the  right 
arm  was  raised,  and  the  restoration  is,  no  doubt,  cor- 
rect. 

An  exactly  similar  design  is  found  on  an  ancient 

gem,  in  which  the  figure  is  represented  leaning  on  a 
spear,  an  attitude  which  well  accords  with  the  feeble 
appearance  of  her  exhausted  frame. 

We  see  most  clearly  in  the  wiry  hair  of  the  Mattei 

Amazon  (which  was  maintained  longer  in  the  bronze 

than  in  the  marble)  that  it  is  copied  from  an  orig- 
inal in  bronze,  in  which  material  all  the  Ephesian 
Amazons  were  executed.  The  strap  by  which  the 

spur  is  fastened  is  found,  according  to  the  custom  of 
these  female  warriors,  on  one  foot  only. 


(34) 


Perry. 


The  “ Mattei  Amazon  ” is  loosening  her  bow  with 
the  right  hand  over  the  head,  a quiver  at  her  left 
side,  a shield  by  the  right  leg  on  the  tree-trunk,  the 
battle-axe  and  a helmet  at  her  feet.  On  the  left 
ankle  is  a spur,  as  in  the  Berlin  figure. 

Redford. 

The  third  type,  which  is  represented  by  the  Berlin 
Amazon,  as  well  as  by  a very  beautiful  copy  in  the 
Braccio  Nuovo  of  the  Vatican,  seems  to  me  the  most 
traceable  to  Polycletus.  In  the  first  place,  the  head, 
which  is  in  excellent  preservation,  even  to  the  nose, 
is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  the  type  which  Conze 
denominates  as  probably  Polycletan ; broad  in  the 
forehead  and  cheek-bones,  refined  and  narrow  in  the 
cheek  and  chin,  it  has  at  the  same  time  the  projecting 
eyelids  and  finely  cut  lips  which  denote  the  copy 
of  a bronze  work  and  the  character  of  an  art  still 
adhering  to  the  strict  and  grand  style. 

The  treatment  of  the  drapery  also  surpasses  that 
of  the  other  two  statues,  and  thus  we  can  readily 
account  for  the  preference  Polycletus’  works  gained 
over  those  of  his  competitors.  From  all  this  we  feel, 
that  among  all  the  antique  statues  in  preservation 
none  merits  so  well  as  this  to  be  referred  to  the 
great  master  of  Argos ; and  that  no  copy  should  be 

(87) 


preserved  of  his  highly  esteemed  work  it  is  difficult 
to  suppose.  If,  however,  the  wound  which  the  Ber- 
lin copy  displays  under  the  right  arm  should  infuse 
a doubt  on  the  point,  we  may  either  suppose  that 
Polycletus’  Amazon  was  also  represented  as  wounded, 
though  we  have  no  written  evidence  of  the  fact,  or 
that  the  copies  were  executed  freely;  and,  as  is  often 
unmistakably  the  case,  ideas  taken  from  one  original 
were  adopted  in  another,  and  were  blended  into  it. 

Lubke . 


LEGEND. 

This  strange  legend  was  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able among  those  cherished  by  the  Greeks.  The 
Amazons  were  represented  by  poets,  painters,  and 
sculptors  as  a nation  of  female  warriors,  and  even 
historians  and  geographers  spoke  of  them  in  such  a 
way  as  to  lead  to  an  inference  that  there  was  some 
sort  of  foundation  in  truth  for  the  stories,  though  it 
would  be  difficult  now  to  say  how  much.  They  are 
spoken  of  as  a warlike  race  of  females  who  estab- 
lished a republic  among  themselves ; they  were  orig- 
inally inhabitants  of  Sarmatia,  where  they  fixed  their 
residence  by  the  banks  of  the  river  Tanais ; they 
afterwards  dwelt  in  Pontus,  and  in  course  of  time 

(88) 


spread  themselves  over  a great  part  of  Asia.  Strabo 
says  they  built  the  cities  of  Ephesus,  Smyrna,  Cuma, 
Myrrhina,  and  Paphus.  ...  So  far  as  the  arts  of 
design  have  left  records  of  the  contests  in  which  the 
Amazons  were  engaged,  the  Athenians  seem  to  have 
been  their  greatest  opponents,  which  may  perhaps  be 
explained  from  the  circumstance  that  of  all  the  an- 
tagonists against  whom  the  Amazons  fought,  the 
Athenians  were  the  best  able  to  perpetuate  their  own 
glory  by  the  labors  of  the  sculptors  and  the  paint- 
ers. A combat  between  Theseus  and  the  Amazons 
was  represented  on  the  base  of  the  statue  of  Jupiter 
at  Olympia.  The  same  subject  was  engraved  on  the 
shield  of  the  statue  of  Minerva  which  stood  in  the 
Temple  of  Theseus  at  Athens.  A battle  between  the 
Athenians  and  the  Amazons  was  painted  on  the  walls  of 
the  same  temple ; and  other  paintings  on  the  same 
subject  are  spoken  of  by  the  ancient  writers  as  hav- 
ing been  painted  on  the  walls  of  different  buildings 
at  Athens.  . . . “A  remarkable  diversity  is  appar- 

ent in  the  dresses  of  the  Amazons,”  says  Mr.  Taylor 
Combe.  “ Sometimes  they  are  represented  in  long 
tunics  reaching  to  the  ground ; sometimes  in  a short 
vest  reaching  only  to  the  knees ; and  in  one  of  the 
bas-reliefs  an  equestrian  Amazon  has  her  arms  cov- 
ered with  long  sleeves,  and  her  lower  limbs  clothed 

(89) 


with  a kind  of  trousers ; all  which  dresses,  as  we 
know  from  the  testimony  of  ancient  authors,  were  in 
use  among  the  Amazons.  In  some  instances  their 
heads  are  without  any  covering,  while  in  others  they 
are  defended  by  a close  helmet.  Their  robes  are 
uniformly  fastened  round  their  waists  by  a zone. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  none  of  the  offensive 
arms  with  which  the  Amazons  fought  are  here  pre- 
served ; but  we  know  perfectly  that  they  assailed  their 
enemies  with  swords  and  battle-axes  in  close  combat, 
and  that  they  annoyed  them  at  a distance  with  spears 
and  arrows. 

Knight . 

It  was  to  Hippolyte,  queen  of  the  Amazons,  that 
Hercules  was  sent  in  order  to  deprive  her  of  the 
beautiful  girdle  she  wore  “ as  a sign  of  her  royal 
power  and  authority,”  and  which  was  a gift  from  her 
father  Ares  (Mars). 

When  Theseus  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  Ama- 
zons, Hippolyte  went  with  gifts  to  see  what  the 
stranger  wanted.  Overcome  at  once  by  the  beauty 
of  the  fair  messenger,  Theseus  seized  her,  and,  car- 
rying her  to  Athens,  made  her  his  bride. 

The  Amazons  bore  this  indignity  in  silence  for  some 
time,  and  many  thought  that  the  whole  affair  was 

(9°) 


forgotten.  But  the  spirit  of  revenge  was  only  slum- 
bering, and,  watching  their  opportunity,  the  dauntless 
warriors  bore  down  upon  the  Greeks  “ when  Athens 
was  in  a defenceless  condition,  and  landed  an  army  in 
Attica.”  So  rapid  were  their  movements  that  they 
had  reached  the  heart  of  Athens  before  the  Greeks 
could  recover  from  their  surprise.  Theseus,  however, 
came  to  the  rescue,  and  so  furious  was  his  attack 
that  the  unfortunate  invaders  were  defeated  with  great 
slaughter ; and  the  record  goes  that  the  beautiful 
Hippolyte,  fighting  on  the  side  of  the  Greeks,  gave 
her  life  in  defence  of  her  husband  and  his  people. 

(91) 


MELEAGER,  VATICAN. 


‘HE  celebrated  Meleager  of  the  Vatican  has  been 


known  for  more  than  three  centuries.  It  was 
found,  according  to  some,  on  the  Esquiline  Hill,  near 
the  basilica  of  Caius  and  Lucius,  and  according  to 
others  outside  the  gate  Portese  on  the  Janiculum. 

L’Aldroandi,  Flaminius  Vacca,  and  Bartoli  speak  of 
this  statue  under  the  name  of  Adonis. 

Belonging  at  first  to  the  Bishop  of  Norcia,  it  was 
in  his  house  on  the  Piazza  Farnese,  at  Rome,  near 
the  Campo  del  Fiore  until  1562,  and  it  was  not 
placed  in  the  Vatican  until  the  time  of  Clement  XIV. 
According  to  L’Aldroandi  it  is  made  of  one  piece 
of  marble,  which  is  tiro  ceruleo . 

Its  preservation  is  perfect  except  for  the  left  hand, 
which  Michael  Angelo,  it  is  said,  did  not  dare  to 
restore. 

Meleager  is  looking  towards  the  left  into  the  dis- 
tance. His  right  hand  is  behind  his  back ; his 


(92) 


chlamys,  clasped  on  the  right  shoulder,  covers  also 
the  left  one,  and  then  is  wrapt  round  his  arm. 
The  left  hand  probably  held  a spear;  it  can  be 

seen  with  this  restoration  in  the  frontispiece  of  Vol. 
III.  of  the  Musee  Pie-Clementin. 

On  the  right  sits  a dog,  with  head  raised  towards 
Meleager.  On  the  left  is  the  head  of  a wild  boar, 

which  is  resting  on  a small  rock. 

Clarac. 

The  well-known,  beautiful  figure  in  the  Vatican 
called  Meleager  is  evidently  a copy  of  a bronze 
original.  The  boar  is  new  and  very  un-Greek  in  the 
elaborate  finish  lavished  on  a subordinate  attribute. 

The  turn  of  the  head  and  the  throw  of  the 

chlamys  well  express  the  hasty,  passionate  character 
of  the  hero,  which  led  him  to  destruction. 

Perry . 


LEGEND. 

Artemis  (Diana)  being  greatly  displeased  because 
CEneus,  King  of  Calydon,  had  omitted  to  include  her 
in  a general  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  which  he  offered 
in  gratitude  for  a plentiful  harvest,  sent  into  the 
country  of  this  king  a ferocious  wild  boar,  which 

(95) 


ravaged  fields  and  vineyards  and  caused  desolation 
to  reign  over  the  once  glad  and  prosperous  realm. 
Death  from  famine  stared  every  man  in  the  face, 
and  yet  no  one  offered  to  fight  the  monster. 

Just  at  this  juncture  Meleager,  the  son  of  CEneus, 
returned  from  the  Argonautic  expedition,  and,  finding 
his  native  land  in  such  terrible  plight,  he  at  once 
planned  a scheme  for  its  relief. 

Summoning  his  friends  to  his  aid,  he  immediately 
inaugurated  the  celebrated  Calydonian  Hunt,  so  dis- 
astrous to  himself  and  his  family.  Among  those 
who  answered  to  his  call  were  the  heroes  Jason, 
Castor  and  Pollux,  Peleus,  Telamon,  Admetus  and 
Theseus,  as  well  as  the  fleet-footed  Atalanta,  whose 
many  charms  had  won  the  heart  of  the  brave  young 
leader  of  the  hunt. 

At  first  the  warlike  worthies  made  objection  to 
having  a woman  admitted  to  their  ranks ; but  Melea- 
ger’s love  for  the  fair  huntress  enabled  him  to  over- 
come their  opposition,  and  the  noble  party  started  in 
quest  of  the  furious  animal.  Atalanta’s  spear  was  the 
first  to  wound  the  boar,  and,  after  a terrible  struggle, 
Meleager  succeeded  in  killing  it,  and  he  laid  the  hide 
and  head  at  the  feet  of  his  loved  Atalanta. 

The  two  brothers  of  Althea,  mother  of  Meleager, 
were  enraged  that  a woman  should  carry  off  the  tro- 

(96) 


phies  of  victory,  and  they  snatched  the  hide  from 
the  maiden,  on  the  plea  that,  as  next  of  kin  to 
Meleager,  they  had  a right  to  the  spoil  if  he,  the 
victor,  refused  it. 

The  anger  of  Diana  was  not  yet  appeased,  so  she 
allowed  Meleager’s  wrath  to  burn  so  fiercely  that  he 
stayed  not  his  hand  until  he  had  slain  his  two  uncles 
and  had  restored  the  hide  to  Atalanta. 

When  Althea  heard  of  the  death  of  her  brothers 
her  grief  knew  no  bounds,  and  she  determined  that 
her  son,  too,  should  die.  At  his  birth  the  Fates  had 
entered  the  house  of  CEneus  and  had  prophesied  that 
the  babe’s  life  should  cease  as  soon  as  a piece  of 
wood,  which  was  then  burning  on  the  hearth,  should 
be  consumed.  Althea  snatched  this  brand  from  the 
burning,  and  had  guarded  it  ever  since  as  her  most 
cherished  treasure. 

Forgetful  of  the  love  she  bore  her  son  she  now 
hastened  to  her  home,  and  flinging  the  precious  stick 
upon  the  flames  she  watched  it  turn  to  ashes.  While 
it  rapidly  consumed,  Meleager  felt  his  strength  wasting 
away,  until,  as  the  red  embers  fell  apart  on  the  hearth, 
he  expired. 

Not  till  it  was  too  late  did  the  frantic  mother  realize 
what  she  had  done,  and  then,  in  her  despair  and  re- 
morse, she  put  an  end  to  her  miserable  life. 

(97) 


It  is  said  that  the  trophies  of  this  famous  hunt 
were  taken  to  Arcadia  by  Atalanta,  and  for  many  years 
the  identical  hide  and  tusks  of  the  Calydonian  boar 
hung  in  the  temple  of  Athene  at  Tegea.  The  tusks 
were  afterwards  shown  as  curiosities  at  Rome. 

(98) 


APHRODITE  OF  CNIDOS,  VATICAN. 


/^\ F all  the  works  of  Greek  plastic  art  which  ancient 
writers  have  thought  worthy  of  especial  mention, 
none,  except  perhaps  the  Zeus  and  Parthenos  of  Pheid- 
ias,  excited  their  interest  and  admiration  in  so  high 
a degree  as  the  Aphrodite  of  Cnidos.  In  speaking  of 
this  miracle  of  beauty,  the  wise  grew  foolish  and  the 
foolish  mad.  Pliny  himself  makes  no  exception:  “Above 
all  the  works,  not  only  of  Praxiteles  but  in  the  whole 
world,  is  the  Venus,  to  see  which  many  men  made 
the  voyage  to  Cnidos,  which  was  fashioned,  as  is  sup- 
posed, with  the  approbation  of  the  Goddess  herself.” 
“ When  Pallas  and  the  Consort  of  Zeus  had  seen 
the  Cnidian  Aphrodite,”  so  runs  the  epigram,  “ they 
said,  ‘We  were  wrong  to  blame  the  Phrygian  (Paris).’ 
Neither  did  Praxiteles  fashion  thee,  nor  the  chisel,  but 
thus  thou  stoodest  when  judged  by  Paris.”  As  another 
proof  of  the  value  and  celebrity  of  this  work,  we  are 
told  that  Nicomedes,  King  of  Bithynia,  offered  to  buy 

(ioi) 


it  of  the  Cnidians  by  paying  their  whole  national  debt, 
which  was  very  large,  but  the  Cnidians  preferred  to 
suffer  anything  rather  than  give  up  their  treasure ; 
“ and  with  good  reason ,”  adds  Pliny,  “ for  by  that 
statue  Praxiteles  made  Cnidos  famous.” 

In  this  great  work  the  art  of  the  period  and  of 
Praxiteles,  its  foremost  representative,  appears  to  have 
culminated.  It  expresses  in  a degree  which  no  other 
statue  can  be  said  to  do,  the  spirit  of  the  New  Attic 
school,  and  it  could  not  have  been  created  in  the 
preceding  or  following  period  of  Hellenic  art. 

Pliny  informs  us  that  Praxiteles  made  two  images 
of  Venus  which  he  sold  at  the  same  time,  the  one 
clothed,  the  other  entirely  nude.  They  were  first 
offered  to  the  people  of  Cos,  who,  influenced  by  re- 
ligious and  moral  scruples,  chose  the  former,  while  the 
Cnidians,  who,  in  spite  of  their  Dorian  descent,  were 
more  “ advanced,”  bought  the  latter,  which  attained  an 
immeasurably  greater  fame.  The  statue,  which  was  of 
Parian  marble,  stood  in  the  centre  of  a small  temple 
in  a grove  of  myrtle  and  other  trees. 

The  principal  description  of  this  wonderful  work  is 
contained  in  Lucian,  to  whose  opinion,  as  that  of  a 
man  of  cultivated  taste,  great  importance  must  be 
attached,  though  he  is  apt  to  be  rhapsodical. 

“ The  Goddess,”  he  says,  “ was  placed  in  the  midst 

(102) 


of  a temple,  a most  beautiful  and  charming  image  of 
Parian  marble,  of  lofty  bearing,  with  a gentle  smile 
which  just  reveals  the  teeth. 

“ And  such  was  the  demiurgic  power  of  art  that 
the  hard  and  stubborn  nature  of  the  stone  looked 
beautiful  in  every  limb.” 

Lycinus  in  Lucian,  when  choosing  single  features 
from  different  statues  for  the  composition  of  his  pat- 
tern beauty,  Panthea,  speaks  with  admiration  of  the 
hair  of  the  Cnidian  Aphrodite,  and  the  forehead,  and 
the  pencilled  eyebrows  beautifully  drawn,  and  the 
“tender  moisture  of  the  bright,  joyous,  and  pleasant 
eyes.” 

We  have  probably  no  exact  copy  of  the  Aphrodite 
of  Cnidos ; the  statues  which  most  nearly  resemble  it 
are  the  Cnidian  Venus  of  the  Vatican,  which  has  been 
disfigured  by  restored  drapery,  and  the  Venus  of  Cnidos 
at  Munich,  which,  though  a Roman  work,  is  simple, 
pure,  and  graceful. 

The  Venus  de  Medici  and  the  Capitoline  Venus  must 
also  be  regarded  as  modifications  of  the  same  original 
type  of  which  Praxiteles  was  probably  the  creator. 

Perry. 


( 103) 


LEGEND. 


Aphrodite,  the  daughter  of  Zeus  and  Dione,  a sea- 
nymph,  was  the  goddess  of  Love  and  Beauty.  Unable, 
because  of  her  heavenly  paternity,  to  remain  beneath 
the  waves  where  she  was  born,  she  rose  from  the 
ocean  cave  and  ascended  to  the  snowy-peaked 

Olympus,  “in  order  to  breathe  that  ethereal  and  most 
refined  atmosphere  which  pertains  to  the  celestial 
gods.” 

Her  magic  girdle,  the  celebrated  cestus,  invested  the 
wearer  with  every  beauty  and  grace,  and  bestowed 
upon  her  the  power  of  inspiring  love. 

The  most  practical  version  of  the  birth  of  Aphrodite 
is  that  when  Uranus  was  wounded  by  his  son  Cronus 
his  blood  mingled  with  the  foam  of  the  sea,  whereupon 
the  bubbling  waters  at  once  assumed  a rosy  tint,  and 
from  their  depths  arose,  in  all  the  surpassing  glory 
of  her  loveliness,  Aphrodite,  goddess  of  love  and 
beauty ! Shaking  her  long,  fair  tresses,  the  water-drops 
rolled  down  into  the  beautiful  sea-shell  in  which  she 
stood,  and  became  transformed  into  pure,  glistening 
pearls.  Wafted  by  the  soft  and  balmy  breezes,  she 
floated  on  the  Cythera,  and  was  then  transported  to 
the  island  of  Cyprus.  Lightly  she  stepped  on  shore, 

(104) 


and  under  the  gentle  pressure  of  her  delicate  foot 
the  dry  and  rigid  sand  became  transformed  into  a 
verdant  meadow,  where  every  varied  shade  of  color 
and  every  sweet  odor  charmed  the  senses. 

The  whole  island  of  Cyprus  became  clothed  with 
verdure  and  greeted  this  fairest  of  all  created  beings 
with  a glad  smile  of  friendly  welcome.  Here  she  was 
received  by  the  Seasons,  who  decked  her  with  gar- 
ments of  immortal  fabric,  encircling  her  fair  brow  with 
a wreath  of  purest  gold,  whilst  from  her  ears  depended 
costly  rings,  and  a glittering  chain  embraced  her  swan- 
like throat.  And  now,  arrayed  in  all  the  panoply  of 
her  irresistible  charms,  the  nymphs  escort  her  to  the 
dazzling  halls  of  Olympus,  where  she  is  received  with 
ecstatic  enthusiasm  by  the  admiring  gods  and  god- 
desses. The  gods  all  vie  with  each  other  in  aspiring 
to  the  honor  of  her  hand,  but  Hephaestus  (Vulcan) 
became  the  envied  possessor  of  this  lovely  being. 

B evens. 

To  be  present  at  the  marriage  of  Peleus  and 
Thetis  all  the  gods  and  goddesses  were  invited  ex- 
cept Eris,  the  goddess  of  Discord,  for  who  wants 
discord  at  a wedding-feast ! 

Deeply  insulted  at  the  slight,  the  vindictive  goddess 
determined  to  be  revenged,  and  to  defeat,  as  far  as 

(105) 


she  was  able,  the  effort  to  exclude  her  from  the 
assembled  guests.  She  accordingly  flung  into  their 
midst  a golden  apple  bearing  the  inscription,  “ For 
the  Fairest,”  and  at  once  her  spirit  hovered  o’er 
each  feminine  heart,  for  were  they  not  all  fair? 

At  last  the  number  of  claimants  was  reduced  to 
three, — Juno,  Minerva,  and  Venus,  — and  they  agreed 
to  call  on  Paris  to  determine  the  all-important  question. 
This  regal  youth  (he  was  the  son  of  Priam,  King 
of  Troy)  paused  a moment  when  Juno  offered  him 
power  and  dominion,  and  Minerva,  the  godlike  wis- 
dom which  should  elevate  him  far  above  his  fellows ; 
but,  when  Venus  promised  him  the  most  beautiful 
woman  in  the  world  for  a wife,  he  hesitated  no 
longer,  but  instantly  decided  that  the  prize  was  hers. 
Juno  never  forgave  this  insult,  and  to  her  are  at- 
tributed all  the  calamities  which  befell  the  family  of 
Priam  during  the  Trojan  war. 

(106) 


INERVA  POLIADE 


MUSEO  VATICANO 


MINERVA  MEDICA,  VATICAN. 


' [ ^HIS  statue  was  found  in  Rome  at  the  Porta 
Maggiore,  in  the  temple  known  as  the  temple 
of  Minerva  Medica.  It  at  first  belonged  to  the  Gius- 
tiniani,  from  whom  Pius  VII.  bought  it. 

Its  preservation  is  most  fortunate,  for  the  head  is 
only  replaced,  and  there  is  nothing  modern  but  the 
right  hand  and  wrist,  a part  of  the  fingers  of  the 
left  hand,  the  whole  of  the  little  finger,  the  middle 
of  the  lance,  and  the  head  of  the  serpent. 

The  Goddess  is  standing,  shod  with  sandals,  and 
clothed  in  an  ample  tunic  which  covers  the  arm  as 
far  as  the  elbow. 

The  peplus  is  arranged  in  such  a way  that  the 
part  of  it  which  passes  under  the  right  arm  comes 
back  over  the  left  shoulder ; not  covering  the  upper 
right  side  of  the  tunic,  but  passing  under  it.  The 
aegis  is  not  quite  horizontal ; it  is  bristling  with 

( 109) 


scales  and  snakes,  and  ornamented  with  the  Gorgon 
head.  The  helmet  of  this  Minerva  is  Greek;  it  is 
surmounted  by  a sphinx,  and  the  visor  is  decorated 
with  two  rams’  heads. 

The  Goddess  holds  her  lance  with  her  right  hand 
whilst  her  left  rests  upon  her  bosom.  A great  ser- 
pent stretches  behind  her,  and,  as  it  uncoils  itself 
at  her  side,  it  lifts  its  head  towards  the  Goddess. 
This  beautiful  marble,  though  smaller  than  the  Pal- 
las of  Velletri  in  the  Louvre,  has  the  same  perfec- 
tion and  dignity.  Not  a line,  not  a stroke  of  the 
chisel,  is  open  to  criticism. 

Now,  we  are  asked,  What  is  the  significance  of  the 
serpent?  Is  it  a symbol  of  the  resurrection?  Of 
health?  And  the  goddess  which  is  accompanied  by 
it,  is  she  Athena,  Hygeia,  Minerva  Medica? 

So  we  speculate.  Or  the  serpent,  is  it  not 
Erechthonius  himself,  adopted  son  of  the  Goddess 
and  of  Vulcan,  born  of  Ge  (Terra)  under  this  form? 
In  this  case  the  Goddess  is  properly  Attic  — Pallas, 
the  mother. 

This  problem  is  very  difficult  to  solve.  If  the 
serpent  were  in  a chest  the  question  would  be  de- 
cided, and  the  group  without  doubt  would  be 
Athena  and  her  son. 

M.  Fossati  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  serpent, 

( no) 


lifting  himself  up  towards  the  Goddess,  indicates  that 
it  is  hatched  out  of  the  earth,  which  carries  us 
back  to  the  second  of  the  interpretations  we  have 
just  proposed. 


(in) 


Clarac. 


THE  VATICAN,  ROME. 


HOME  OF  THE  JUPITER  OTRICOLI. 

HOME  OF  THE  APOLLO  BELVEDERE. 

HOME  OF  THE  BELVEDERE  TORSO. 

HOME  OF  THE  LAOCO  N. 

HOME  OF  THE  APOXYOMENOS. 

HOME  OF  THE  ARIADNE  DESERTED. 

HOME  OF  THE  AMAZON. 

HOME  OF  MELEAGER.  APHRODITE  OF  CNIDOS. 
MINERVA  MEDICA. 


' I '"HERE  is  no  palace  in  the  world  which  approaches 
the  Vatican  in  interest,  whether  we  regard  its 
prominent  position  in  the  history  of  the  church,  or 
the  influence  exercised  by  its  collections  on  the 
learning  and  taste  of  Christendom  for  nearly  three 
hundred  years.  It  is  an  immense  pile  of  buildings, 
irregular  in  their  plan,  and  composed  of  parts  con- 
structed at  different  times,  without  a due  regard  to 
the  general  harmony  of  the  whole.  There  seems  to 

( 1 12  ) 


have  been  a palace  attached  to  the  Basilica  of  St. 
Peter’s  probably  as  early  as  the  time  of  Constantine. 
It  certainly  existed  in  the  eighth  century,  for  Charle- 
magne resided  in  it  at  his  coronation  by  Leo  III. 
In  the  twelfth  century  this  palace  had  become  so 
dilapidated  that  it  was  rebuilt  by  Innocent  III.,  who 
entertained  Pedro  II.,  King  of  Arragon,  in  the  new 
edifice.  In  the  following  century  it  was  enlarged  by 
Nicholas  III.,  whose  additions  occupied  the  site  of 
the  present  Torre  di  Borgia. 

The  popes  for  upwards  of  one  thousand  years  had 
inhabited  the  Lateran  Palace,  and  did  not  make  the 
Vatican  their  permanent  residence  until  after  their 
return  from  Avignon  in  1377.  Gregory  XI.  then 
adopted  it  as  the  Pontifical  Palace,  chiefly  on  account 
of  the  greater  security  enjoyed  in  it  by  the  vicinity 
of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo. 

John  XXIII.  built  the  covered  gallery  which  com- 
municates between  the  palace  and  the  fortress,  along 
the  line  of  the  Leonine  wall.  From  that  time  the 
popes  seem  to  have  vied  with  each  other  in  the  ex- 
tent and  variety  of  their  additions.  Nicholas  V.,  in 
1450,  conceived  the  idea  of  making  it  the  largest  and 
most  beautiful  palace  of  the  Christian  world ; but  he 
died  before  he  could  accomplish  his  design,  and  was 
only  able  to  renew  a portion  of  the  old  edifice. 

(115) 


Alexander  VI.  completed  that  part  of  the  building 
as  we  see  it  now.  The  chapel  of  San  Lorenzo,  the 
private  chapel  of  Nicholas  V.,  well  known  from  the 
frescos  of  Fra  Angelico,  is  considered  to  be  the  only 
part  of  the  edifice  which  is  older  than  his  time. 

The  buildings  of  Alexander  VI.  were  distinguished 
from  the  later  works  by  the  name  of  the  Old  Pal- 
ace, and  are  now  called,  from  their  founder,  the 
Apartamento  Borgia. 

To  this  structure  Sixtus  IV.,  in  1474,  added  the 
Sixtine  Chapel,  from  the  designs  of  Baccio  Pintelli. 
About  1490  Innocent  VIII.  erected,  at  a short  dis- 
tance from  the  palace,  the  villa  called  the  Belvedere, 
from  the  designs  of  Antonio  del  Pollajuolo.  Julius 
II.  conceived  the  idea  of  uniting  the  villa  to  the  pal- 
ace, and  employed  Bramante  to  execute  a design. 
Under  his  direction  the  celebrated  Loggie  were  added, 
and  the  large  rectangular  space  between  the  palace  and 
the  villa  was  divided  by  a terrace,  separating  the 
garden  of  the  villa  from  the  lower  courts  of  the  pal- 
ace, which  he  intended  to  convert  into  an  amphi- 
theatre for  bull-fights  and  public  games.  In  the 
gardens  of  the  Belvedere  Julius  II.  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Vatican  Museum.  This  honor  has  been 
often  attributed  to  Leo  X. ; but  Cabrera,  in  his 
curious  Spanish  work  on  the  antiquities,  published  at 

(116) 


Rome  in  1600,  enumerates  the  Laocoon,  the  Apollo, 
the  Cleopatra,  and  other  statues  placed  there  by 
Julius  II.  After  his  death  Leo  X.  completed  the 
Loggie  under  the  direction  of  Raphael. 

Paul  III.  built  the  Sala  Regia  and  the  Pauline 
chapel ; and  Sixtus  V.  completed  the  design  of  Bra- 
mante,  but  destroyed  the  unity  of  the  plan  by  con- 
structing across  the  rectangle  the  line  of  building  now 
occupied  by  the  Library.  When  Cabrera  wrote  his 
descriptions,  Sixtus  V.  had  begun  a new  and  more 
imposing  palace  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  court  of 
the  Loggie,  and  it  was  then  advancing  towards  com- 
pletion under  Clement  VIII.  This  is  now  the  ordi- 
nary residence  of  the  Pope,  and  is  by  far  the  most 
conspicuous  portion  of  the  mass  of  buildings  which 
constitute  the  Vatican  palace. 

Numerous  alterations  and  additions  were  made  by 
succeeding  pontiffs.  Under  Urban  VIII.  Bernini  con- 
structed his  celebrated  staircase,  called  the  Scala 
Regia ; Clement  XIV.  and  Pius  VI.  built  a new 
range  of  apartments  for  the  Museo  Pio-Clementino ; 
and  Pius  VII.  added  the  Braccio  Nuovo , a new  wing 
covering  part  of  the  terrace  of  Bramante,  and  run- 
ning parallel  to  the  Library.  Leo  XII.  began  a series 
of  chambers  for  the  gallery  of  pictures,  which  were 
finished  by  Gregory  XVI.,  during  whose  pontificate, 

(119) 


also,  the  Etruscan  Museum  was  placed  where  we  now 
see  it.  Pius  IX.  enclosed  the  Loggie  in  glass,  by 
which  the  invaluable  frescos  of  Raphael  and  his 
school  are  no  longer  exposed  to  the  inclemency  of 
the  elements ; removed  the  gallery  of  pictures  to  a 
more  suitable  situation  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
palace ; continued  the  decoration  of  the  Loggie  left 
unfinished  by  Gregory  XIII. ; and  erected  the  mag- 
nificent stairs  leading  to  the  Court  of  Bramante,  with 
its  fine  flight  of  steps,  now  the  way  to  the  Museum. 
It  can  hardly  be  expected  that  an  edifice  whose  de- 
velopment may  thus  be  traced  through  upwards  of 
four  centuries  should  have  preserved  any  uniformity 
of  plan,  and  hence  the  general  effect  of  the  palace 
is  far  from  pleasing.  It  is  rather  a collection  of  sep- 
arate buildings  than  one  regular  structure.  The  space 
it  occupies  is  immense;  its  length  is  1,151  English 
feet,  and  its  breadth  767.  The  number  of  its  halls, 
chambers,  galleries,  etc.,  almost  exceeds  belief;  it  has 
8 grand  staircases,  200  smaller  ones,  20  courts,  and 
4,422  rooms. 

The  Scala  Regia , the  great  staircase  by  Bernini,  is 
one  of  his  most  remarkable  works,  and  is  celebrated 
for  the  effect  of  its  perspective.  It  consists  of  two 
flights,  the  lower  decorated  with  Ionic  columns,  and 
the  upper  with  pilasters ; the  stucco  ornaments  are 

(120) 


by  Algardi.  This  staircase  leads  to  the  Sala  Regia, 
or  hall  of  Audience  for  Ambassadors. 

The  Sixtine  Chapel  is  a lofty,  oblong  hall,  with  a 
gallery  running  round  three  of  its  sides.  The  walls 
beneath  the  windows  are  divided  into  two  portions ; 
the  lower  one,  painted  in  imitation  of  drapery,  was 
intended  to  be  covered  with  the  tapestries  executed 
from  the  cartoons  of  Raphael.  The  ceiling  contains 
Michael  Angelo’s  immortal  frescos,  and  on  the  end 
wall  opposite  the  entrance  is  his  masterpiece,  the 
Last  Judgment. 

The  Museo  Chiaramonti , founded  by  Pius  VII., 
whose  family  name  it  bears,  was  arranged  by  Canova. 
It  contains  700  specimens  of  ancient  sculpture  ar- 
ranged in  30  compartments.  Many  are,  of  course,  of 
secondary  interest,  but,  taken  as  a whole,  the  collec- 
tion in  any  other  place  but  Rome  would  be  con- 

sidered a museum  in  itself. 

Opening  on  the  left  from  the  Museo  Chiaramonti 
we  enter  the  Braccio  Nuovo.  This  part  of  the  Museo 
Chiaramonti  was  erected  by  Pius  VII.  in  1817,  from 
the  designs  of  the  architect,  Stern.  It  is  a noble 

hall,  260  feet  in  length,  and  well  lighted  from  the 

roof,  which  is  supported  by  columns  of  cippoline, 

giallo  antico,  and  gray  granite,  with  Corinthian  capitals. 
In  the  centre  are  two  tribunes,  decorated  with  two 

(123) 


fine  columns  of  white  oriental  alabaster  and  two  of 
giallo  antico.  There  are  upwards  of  40  statues  and 
nearly  80  busts  in  the  collection : the  statues  are 
mostly  placed  in  niches ; the  busts  stand  on  half 
columns  of  red  oriental  granite. 

The  frieze  is  composed  of  bas-reliefs,  arranged  and 
chiefly  composed  by  Laboureur,  the  late  President  of 
the  Academy  of  St.  , Luke.  The  floor  consists  of 
ancient  mosaics,  the  two  largest  compartments  rep- 
resenting tritons,  marine  animals,  boats,  etc. 

Here  we  may  find  the  Apoxyomenos  after  Lysip- 
pus. 

The  Museo  Pio-Clementino  is  so  called  from  Clement 
XIV.  and  Pius  VI.,  from  whom  it  received  its 
most  important  accessions.  It  contains  the  collections 
formed  by  Julius  II.,  Leo  X.,  Clement  VII.,  and  Paul 
III.,  and  is  without  exception  the  most  magnificent 
museum  of  ancient  sculpture  in  the  world.  Pius  VI. 
contributed  more  munificently  to  its  completion  than 
any  of  his  predecessors ; there  is  hardly  a corner  of 
it  in  which  some  object  does  not  bear  the  inscrip- 
tion— Munificentia  Pii  Sexti.  The  frequent  recurrence 
of  this  record  has  been  ridiculed  by  Pasquin ; but 
the  best  apology  for  the  Pope  is  the  simple  fact 
that  he  enriched  the  Museum  with  more  than  two 
thousand  specimens,  and  built,  from  their  foundations, 

(124) 


the  Hall  of  Animals,  the  Gallery  of  the  Muses,  the  Ro - 
tonda , the.  halls  of  the  Greek  Cross  and  of  the  Biga, 
the  grand  staircase,  and  other  portions  of  the  build- 
ings which  have  justly  been  classed  among  the  most 
splendid  works  of  papal  times. 

To  this  collection  belong  the  Belvedere  Torso,  the 
Meleager,  the  Apollo  Belvedere,  and  the  Lao  coon. 

In  the  Gallery  of  Statues,  formerly  the  bedroom  of 
Innocent  III.,  may  be  found  the  Ariadne  Deserted 
and  the  Amazon. 

In  the  centre  of  the  Rotonda , or  circular  hall,  is 
a grand  basin  of  porphyry,  forty-one  feet  in  circum- 
ference, found  in  the  baths  of  Diocletian.  The  floor 
beneath  is  formed  by  a fine  mosaic  pavement,  found 
at  Otricoli  in  1780.  Among  the  colossal  busts  here 
is  the  famous  Jupiter  Otricoli. 


( 127) 


Murray. 


THE  MINERVA  OF  THE  CAPITOL,  ROME, 


HE  Ath£n&  of  the  Capitol  is  supposed,  with  less 


reason,  perhaps,  to  be  the  third  member  of  the 
group  of  Delphic  offerings,  and  to  be  the  pendant 
of  the  Artemis  (Diane  a la  Biche).  According  to 
this  theory,  the  two  Goddesses,  the  one  with  bow 
and  quiver,  the  other  with  lance  and  shield,  are 
hurriedly  advancing  from  opposite  sides,  as  if  for  some 
common  purpose.  The  head  of  the  Ath£n£  is  un- 
fortunately lost,  but  her  whole  bearing  speaks  of  the 
martial  vigor,  the  eager  delight  in  battle,  with  which 
the  Ath£n£  of  Homer  leads  her  darling  Greeks  into 
the  fray.  The  eagerness  and  haste  displayed  by  the 
maiden  Goddesses  form  a striking  contrast  with  the 
calm,  majestic  attitude  of  the  central  figure  of  Apollo, 
with  whom,  as  they  advance,  on  either  side  of  him, 
from  opposite , directions,  they  would  certainly  form  a 
harmonious  and  rhythmical  group. 


Perry . 


(123) 


FAUN  OF  PRAXITELES,  CAPITOL. 


TN  the  street,  says  Pausanias,  leading  from  the 
^ Prytaneion  — called  Tripodes , from  the  number  of 
tripods  set  up  in  it  — there  was  a statue  of  a Satyr 
of  which  Praxiteles  was  said  to  be  not  a little 
proud. 

When  Phryne  asked  him  which  was  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  his  works,  he  allowed  her  to  choose  one  of 
them  as  a gift,  but  would  not  tell  her  which  of  them 
seemed  to  him  the  best.  Phryne  therefore  ordered 
her  servant  to  go  hastily  to  Praxiteles,  and  inform 
him  that  the  greater  number  of  his  statues  had  been 
destroyed  by  fire,  but  not  all.  On  hearing  this 
Praxiteles  rushed  out  of  the  house  crying  out  that  all 
his  labor  had  been  lost  if  the  flames  had  seized  his 
Satyr  and  his  Eros.  Phryne  then  wisely  chose  the 
Eros,  and  dedicated  it  in  the  Temple  at  Thespiae. 

The  transforming,  grace-giving  power  of  art  has 
seldom  been  more  strikingly  manifested  than  in  the 

03* ) 


evolution  of  the  Satyr  of  Praxiteles  — of  which  the 
statue  in  the  Capitol  gives  us  an  idea  — from  the  semi- 
bestial  “ idle  and  worthless  ” race  who  followed  Diony- 
sus in  drunken  revelry. 

In  their  original  form  the  Satyrs  were  ignoble  both  in 
form  and  feature ; their  limbs,  though  strong,  were  with- 
out fair  proportions,  and  either  disfigured  by  coarse  sinews 
or  by  the  soft  spongy  flesh  of  the  habitual  drunkard ; 
their  legs  were  covered  with  hair,  and  they  were  goat- 
footed ; their  heads  were  partly  bald,  their  ears  were 
pointed,  and  hard  knots  protruded  from  their  neck,  while 
a tail  of  bristling  hair  disgraced  their  backs.  Their  faces 
were  rendered  preternaturally  ugly  by  low,  mean  fore- 
heads, snub  noses,  and  a lascivious  leer;  so  that  we  are 
surprised  and  angry  that  they  seem  to  find  favor  with 
the  sprightly  and  charming  Nymphs. 

They  are,  however,  favorite  subjects  of  art,  and  seem 
chosen  by  the  Greeks  to  express  the  less  noble  feelings 
and  the  coarser,  wilder  passions  of  our  human  nature, 
which,  while  they  could  not  altogether  ignore,  they  shrank 
from  incorporating  in  an  entirely  human  form. 

In  the  Satyr  of  Praxiteles  all  that  is  coarse  and 
ugly  in  form,  all  that  is  mean  or  revolting  in  expres- 
sion, is  purged  away  by  the  fire  of  genius.  Of  ex- 
ternal marks  of  his  lower  nature  nothing  is  left  but 
the  pointed  ears  and  the  arrangement  of  the  hair  over 

(132) 


ROMA  Fauno  di  Prassitele  Museo  Capilolmo 


the  forehead , which  is  a reminiscence  of  the  budding 
horns  of  a goat.  His  identity  is  indeed  not  altogether 
lost.  He  is  still  redolent  of  the  woods  and  fields, 
but  he  reminds  us  no  longer  of  the  rude  manners 
and  unbridled  passions  of  uncivilized  life,  but  of  the 
more  peaceful  and  romantic  enjoyments  of  the  coun- 
try, of  the  dolce  far  niente  in  the  shade  on  summer 
days,  of  the  music  of  the  groves,  the  shepherd’s 
pipe,  the  rustic  maiden’s  carol,  and  the  mysterious 
whisperings  of  the  breeze-stirred  leaves. 

The  best  of  the  copies  of  the  work  of  Praxiteles,  of 
which  Winckelmann  knew  as  many  as  thirty,  is  the  well- 
known  statue  in  the  Capitol  at  Rome.  This  Satyr, 
which  some  regard  as  the  Periboetus , is  represented  in 
virtual  nudity,  with  only  the  panther’s  skin  slung  loosely 
across  his  chest.  In  type  he  approaches  very  nearly 
to  the  Dionysus  of  the  younger  school,  and  to  the 
Apollo  Sauroctonos,  although  there  is  just  the  differ- 
ence which  separates  the  most  human  of  Gods  from 
the  most  refined  of  Satyrs.  The  Satyr  is  a satyr 
still;  “idle,  unfit  for  work”  or  war;  incapable  of  any 
greater  exertion  than  that  of  strolling  in  the  woods, 
or  piping  to,  and  dancing  with,  the  “ rosy-armed  ” 
Nymphs  of  the  wood  and  mountain. 

In  connection  with  this  new  creation  of  Praxiteles 
archaeologists  have  pointed  out  the  further  progress 

(i35) 


which  it  shows  in  the  representation  of  easy  negli- 
gence. The  first  step  was  to  throw  the  weight  of  the 
body  on  one  leg,  and  to  leave  the  other  at  rest. 
Here  we  see  the  legs  still  further  relieved  of  the  bur- 
den of  the  body  by  giving  a support  to  the  elbow. 
The  tree  on  which  the  Satyr  leans,  not  only  affords 
the  necessary  support,  but  the  leaning  attitude  throws 
his  form  into  a pose  of  undulating  grace,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  more  charming  to  the  eye. 


(136) 


Perry. 


THE  DYING  GLADIATOR,  OR  GAUL, 
CAPITOL 


E cannot  reasonably  suppose  that  a patriotic 


nificent  presents  to  the  city  of  Athens,1  would  leave 
Pergamon,  his  own  capital,  unadorned  by  memorials 
of  his  crowning  and  saving  victory.  And  in  fact 
we  have  statues  of  a similar  style  and  character  to 
those  of  the  Attalic  offerings  which  are,  with  very 
general  assent,  assigned  to  this-  period,  and  to  artists  of 
Pergamon.  There  is  scarcely  a work  in  the  whole 
range  of  ancient  art  which  is  more  intelligible  to  the 
northern  mind,  or  more  universally  popular,  than  the 
so-called  “ Dying  Gladiator ,”  a name  so  much  en- 

1 Attalus  I.,  King  of  Pergamon,  gained  a great  victory  over  the 
Gauls,  and  in  commemoration  of  it  he  made  a splendid  offering  at 
Athens  of  many  marble  statues,  “ for  which  the  event  of  the  Gallic 
wars  supplied  suitable  subjects  of  great  national  interest.  The  victories 
of  Attalus  inspired  the  art  of  Pergamon.” 


monarch  like  Attalus,  who  made  such  mag- 


(i39) 


deared  to  us  by  the  touching  lines  of  Byron  — too 
familiar  to  quote  — that  we  are  loath  to  change  it  for 
a truer  designation.  This  noble  and  pathetic  statue 
was  discovered  at  Rome,  in  a very  perfect  state,  in 
the  sixteenth  century,  and  was  formerly  in  the 
Villa  Ludovisi.  The  restoration  of  the  right  arm  is 
correct,  but  the  horn,  said  to  have  been  restored  by 
Michael  Angelo,  should  have  ended  in  a mouth- 
piece. 

Nibby  was  the  first  to  recognize  a Gaul  in  this 
statue,  and  came  to  this  conclusion  by  comparing  it 
with  the  description  given  of  the  physical  constitu- 
tion of  the  Gauls,  or  Galatians  as  they  were  called 

by  the  Greeks. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  artist  has  here 
represented  one  of  the  many  incidents  of  the  great 
battle  in  which  Attalus  defeated  the  barbarian  in- 
vaders. 

We  learn  from  ancient  history  that  the  latter,  when 

all  seemed  lost,  not  unfrequently  slew  their  wives 

and  children  and  themselves  to  avoid  the  hateful 
bondage  to  the  Romans. 

A generous  adversary  could  not  but  admire  the 
rude  greatness  of  soul  which  thus  preferred  self-in- 
flicted death  to  slavery,  and  it  is  this  which  ennobles 
and  idealizes  the  statue  before  us. 

C 140) 


Such  an  incident  is  represented  here  in  the  wild, 
stern  barbarian,  who  has  just  stabbed  himself,  and 
is  gradually  sinking  to  the  ground,  as  the  life-blood 
flows  from  the  deep  wound  in  his  manly  breast. 
His  position,  which  is  in  the  highest  degree  natural 
and  graceful,  is  entirely  determined  by  the  effort  to 
avoid  all  tension  of  the  skin  and  muscles  by  which 
pain  would  be  increased.  The  head  droops ; the  en- 
feebled arm  with  difficulty  supports  the  ever-increas- 
ing dead  weight  of  the  massive  frame ; death  and 
gloomy  despair  are  in  his  swimming  eyes.  He  has 
time  not  only  to  kill  himself  before  the  enemy 
arrives,  but  to  break  his  now  useless  horn,  and  to 
cover  with  his  lifeless  body  the  broad  shield,  the 
emblem  of  his  honor;  and  he  still  wears  around  his 
body  the  golden  torques , the  sign  of  rank,  from 
which  the  mighty  Manlius  was  proud  to  take  his 
surname. 

The  Pergamenian  sculptor  no  longer  stood  on  myth- 
ical ground,  but  on  that  of  contemporary  history.  He 
had  to  fix  in  the  eternity  of  stone  a scene  which 
had  been  enacted  before  his  own  eyes,  and  to  en- 
dow his  work  with  the  value  of  historic  as  well  as 
artistic  truth.  This  he  succeeds  in  doing  by  a con- 
scious reflexion  and  discrimination  in  the  selection 
of  characteristic  traits  and  details. 

(HO 


Many  of  these  were  the  reverse  of  beautiful;  but 
he  unflinchingly  gives  them  all  — the  large  joints, 
the  knotted  fingers,  the  horny  palms  of  the  hand 
and  soles  of  the  feet,  the  folds  of  thick,  coarse  skin 
above  the  wrists  and  ancles,  the  general  irregularity 
of  surface  common  to  barbarian  races  and  to  the 
rudest  classes  of  civilized  nations.  The  arrangement 

of  the  unbound,  unkempt  hair,  too,  which  grows  far 
down  the  nape  of  the  neck,  is  as  different  as  pos- 
sible from  that  of  the  Greek  models. 

Both  Germans  and  Gauls  clotted  their  hair  into 
small  knobs,  like  those  of  a sheep’s  fleece,  by 

some  glutinous  salve,  and  then  stroked  it  back  over 
the  crown  of  the  head.  This  peculiarity,  too,  is  given 
in  the  Dying  Gaul,  as  well  as  the  thick  mustaches, 
which  was  the  only  hair  the  noble  Gaul  allowed  to 
grow  on  his  face. 

If  these,  for  the  most  part,  unlovely  features  had 
been  all  that  we  could  see  in  this  celebrated  work, 

it  would  be  interesting  only  to  technicians  and  eth- 
nologists, and  to  the  vulgar,  to  whom  the  power  of 
realistic  imitation  is  the  highest  merit  of  the  artist. 
But  it  differs  from  the  Greek  ideal  no  less  in  its 
moral  significance  than  in  its  corporeal  features. 

The  action  and  bearing  of  the  Dying  Gaul  are 

altogether  foreign  to  the  Greek  character.  In  the 

(142) 


Greek  the  most  passionate  excitement  is  subject 
to  the  rule  of  reason,  which,  “ in  the  very  torrent, 
tempest,  and  whirlwind  of  his  passion,  acquires  and 
begets  a temperance  which  gives  it  smoothness ; ” and 
this  temperance  is  the  very  soul  of  the  purest  Greek 
art.  But  the  fury  and  the  despair  of  the  barbarian 
knew  no  bounds.  In  the  tempest  of  his  passions  his 
whole  being  suffers  shipwreck. 

Perry. 

(143) 


i 


ANTINOUS,  CAPITOL. 


r 1 "HE  story  of  Antinous  throws  a strange  and  lurid 
light  on  the  imbecility  and  corruption  of  the 
Roman  world,  which  not  only  awarded  divine  honors 
to  its  Emperors  after  death,  but  received  a god  at 
the  hands  of  a living  Emperor  in  the  person  of  an 
obscure  Bithynian  youth. 

Among  the  plastic  representations  of  the  second 
century  of  our  era,  the  only  one  which  possesses  any 
real  novelty  or  originality  is  that  of  this  favorite  of 
Hadrian.  In  this  well-known  figure  we  have  a new 

type  which  has  no  antecedents  in  earlier  art,  and 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  further  developed  at  a 
later  period.  But  though  it  thus  stands  alone,  it  can 
hardly  be  said  to  be  a new  ideal  creation  of  the 
unknown  artist  — it  is  simply  the  more  or  less  ideal- 
ised portrait  of  a real  individual. 

Pausanias,  in  speaking  of  him,  says,  “ I never  saw 
Antinous  alive,  but  I have  seen  statues  and  pictures 

(144) 


of  him.  . . . There  is  a house  in  the  Gymnasium 

of  the  Mantineans  which  contains  statues  of  Antinous 
. . . and  many  pictures  of  him,  mostly  in  the  form 

of  Dionysus.” 

But  he  was  also  represented  under  the  form  of 

Pythius,  Apollo,  Hermes,  Heracles,  Aristaeus,  Gany- 
mede, and  Agathodaemon.  Many  of  these  have  been 
preserved,  and  Levezow  treats  of  no  less  than  ten 

statues  and  eighteen  busts,  most  of  which  were  dis- 
covered in  the  ruins  of  Hadrian’s  villa  at  Tivoli. 

Of  the  statues,  the  most  noteworthy  are:  the  co- 
lossal figure  of  Antinous- Bacchus  in  the  Vatican 
Museum , and  the  Antinous  Hermes  in  the  Capitol. 
The  finest  busts  are : one  in  the  Sala  Rotonda  of  the 
Vatican,  the  Antinous  Mondrag  one  in  the  Louvre , and 
the  magnificent  alto-rilievo  bust  in  the  Villa  Albani. 
All  these  works  show  the  same  very  peculiar  features, 
by  which  the  most  casual  observer  cannot  fail  to 

recognize  the  unhappy  favorite  of  Hadrian.  The 

skull  is  of  great  breadth,  the  forehead  low  and 
prominent,  and  shaded  by  clusters  of  locks.  The  eyes 
are  deep-set  and  half  closed,  and  the  cheeks  and  chin 
are  full  and  round.  The  broad  and  highly-arched 
chest  gives  an  appearance  of  robust  strength,  which 
is,  however,  marred  by  the  effeminate  fulness  and  soft- 
ness of  the  limbs. 


( H7) 


But,  after  all,  the  most  striking  characteristic  of 
Antinous  is  the  pensive  inclination  of  the  head,  and 
the  fixed,  dreamy  gaze  of  the  half-closed  eyes.  The 
singular  expression  of  the  face  has  been  accounted 
for  by  supposing  that  he  is  gazing  with  mysterious 
forebodings  on  the  waves  which  were  soon  to  flow 
over  his  lifeless  body.  Such  an  explanation,  however 
ingenious  and  pleasing,  seems  hardly  justified. 

It  is  difficult  to  analyze  the  feeling  which  this 
strange  being,  so  unlike  anything  else  which  we  have 
met  in  Greek  and  Roman  art,  excites  in  the  beholder. 
He  is  young,  beautiful,  and  strong;  but  the  contem- 
plation of  his  youth  and  strength  and  beauty  does 
not  yield  us  unmixed  pleasure.  Nor  does  the  strange 
sadness  of  his  face  call  forth  that  not  unpleasing 
sympathy  with  which  we  regard  the  “ beaux  chagrins 
the  “ sweet  sorrows  ” of  youth,  which  we  know  will  pass 
away  like  clouds  in  April.  The  look  of  Antinous  is 
one  of  an  almost  sullen  despair;  it  betrays  a mor- 
bid condition  of  the  mind,  and  produces  an  undefined, 
incongruous,  and  almost  painful  impression  upon  us. 

The  colossal  statue  of  A ntinous- Bacchus,  in  the 
Vatican,  referred  to  above,  was  discovered  in  Pales- 
trina (or  Hadrian’s  Villa?)  in  the  beginning  of  the 
last  century,  by  Gavin  Hamilton,  and  has  been  lately 
removed  from  the  Lateran.  The  garment,  probably 

(148) 


of  bronze,  which  wrapt  the  middle  of  the  body,  was 
missing,  and  was  restored  in  marble  by  Pierre.  The 
pine  cone  on  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  the  thyrsus 
in  the  left  hand,  are  also  restorations.  In  his  char- 
acter of  Bacchus  he  wrears  the  long  locks  appropriate 
to  the  God,  and  the  ivy  crown,  which  the  artist  has 
elaborated  with  the  greatest  care  and  skill.  In  some 
respects  the  Bacchus-type  seems  to  be  peculiarly 
suited  for  the  ideal  representation  of  the  deified 
Antinous,  who,  like  the  god,  was  young  and  beauti- 
ful, pleasure-loving  and  luxurious,  yet  subject  to 
melancholy.  But  how  different  is  the  romantic, 

dreamy  sadness,  which  is  only  one  form  of  youthful 
enjoyment,  in  the  face  of  Bacchus,  from  the  dark, 
hopeless  brooding  of  this  victim  of  a gloomy  super- 
stition ! 

The  designation  given  to  the  statue  of  Antinous  in 
the  Capitol , from  the  likeness  which  it  bears  to  other 
heads  of  the  same  hero,  might  perhaps  be  disputed 
on  account  of  the  short  curly  hair,  and  the  manner  in 
which  the  iris  of  the  eye  is  marked.  But  he  probably 
appears  here  in  the  character  of  Mercury  (Hermes). 

The  Bust  of  Antinous  in  the  Louvre , known  by  the 
name  of  Mondr agone , a villa  in  Frascati,  is  perhaps 
the  finest  of  the  many  heads  of  the  beautiful  Bithyn- 
ian.  The  hair  is  arranged  under  a fillet  or  taenia, 

(15O 


in  a manner  which  is  not  unknown  in  Greek  works, 
and  it  is  evident,  from  the  holes  round  the  head, 
that  a metal  garland  once  encircled  it.  The  eyes, 
which  are  now  wanting,  were  separately  formed  of 
onyx  or  ivory,  and  let  into  the  eye-holes. 

Winckelmann  is  loud  in  his  praises  of  this  beautiful 
bust,  and  points  out  more  especially  the  skilful  treat- 
ment of  its  colossal  proportions,  and  the  exquisite 
elaboration  of  the  hair,  which,  he  says,  is  unrivalled  in 
the  whole  of  antiquity. 


LEGEND. 

Little  is  known  of  the  short  career  of  Antinous 
beyond  the  extravagant  affection  shown  him  by  the 
Emperor  Hadrian.  He  was  born  of  unknown  parents 
in  Bithynium  (or  Claudiopolis)  in  Bithynia,  and  was 
brought  very  early  in  life  — probably  on  account  of  his 
remarkable  beauty  — to  the  imperial  court  at  Rome.  He 
immediately  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Emperor, 
whose  inseparable  companion  he  became,  and  with 
whom  he  travelled  through  the  eastern  portion  of  the 
Roman  Empire.  Among  other  countries  they  visited 
Egypt,  which  possessed  strong  attractions  to  a lover 
of  antiquity  and  mystery  like  Hadrian. 

During  an  excursion  on  the  Nile,  in  the  year  of 
Grace  130  or  132,  Antinous  was  drowned — by  accident, 

050 


as  the  Emperor  reported  in  his  letter  to  the  Senate, 
but  in  all  probability  by  an  act  of  self-devotion. 

The  Magi,  glad,  no  doubt,  to  have  an  opportunity 
of  making  themselves  important  in  the  eyes  of  their 
master,  had  predicted  danger  to  Hadrian’s  life,  and  de- 
manded a substitute,  as  the  only  means  of  prolonging 
it.  Such  a prediction  would  take  great  hold  on 
Hadrian’s  superstitious  mind,  and  the  more  real  and 
near  the  peril  seemed  to  his  fears,  the  greater,  in  his 
eyes,  was  the  merit  of  Antinous,  who  voluntarily , as 
was  said,  appeased  the  dark  powers  of  fate  by  the 
sacrifice  of  his  young  life  and  brilliant  prospects. 

The  gratitude  and  regret  of  the  Emperor  were  un- 
bounded, and  no  doubt  sincere.  He  summoned  the 
whole  world  to  sympathize  with  his  grief  and  to  pay 
divine  honors  to  the  glorious  martyr  of  devoted 
loyalty.  The  town  of  Besa,  in  the  Thebais,  near  which 
Antinous  was  drowned,  received  the  name  of  Antino- 
opolis,  and  was  rebuilt  in  the  Grecian  style.  Temples 
were  erected  for  his  worship  both  in  Egypt  and  Greece ; 
oracles  were  delivered  in  his  name ; games  instituted 
in  his  honor;  and  countless  statues  of  him  set  up  in 
every  part  of  the  empire.  His  departed  soul  appeared 
in  the  shape  of  a new  star  (between  Aquila  and  the 
Zodiac),  which  still  bears  his  name. 


(H3) 


Perry. 


THE  CAPITOL,  ROME. 


HOME  OF  THE  MINERVA  OF  THE  CAPITOL. 
HOME  OF  THE  FAUN  OF  PRAXITELES. 

HOME  OF  THE  DYING  GLADIATOR,  OR  GAUL. 
HOME  OF  THE  ANTINOUS. 


' I HIE  square  of  palaces  which  now  covers  the  sum- 
“*■  mit  of  the  Capitoline  Hill,  under  the  name  of 
the  Piazza  del  Campidoglio,  was  erected  by  Paul  III. 
from  the  designs  of  Michael  Angelo.  The  effect  as 
we  approach  it  from  the  Piazza  di  Ara  Coeli  is  im- 
posing, although  it  may  disappoint  our  preconceived 
ideas  of  magnificence  of  the  Roman  Capitol.  The 
easy  ascent  by  steps  a cordoni  was  opened  in  1536, 
on  the  occasion  of  the  entrance  of  Charles  V. 

At  the  foot  of  the  central  stairs  are  two  Egyptian 
lions,  brought  here  by  Pius  IV.  from  the  church  of 
St.  Stefano  in  Cacco.  At  the  summit  of  the  steps, 
on  the  angles  of  the  balustrades,  are  two  colossal 
statues  in  marble  of  Castor  and  Pollux  standing  by 

(154) 


T 

k 

if 

3M  JR 

the  side  of  their  horses ; they  were  found  in  the 
Ghetto,  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
Near  these  are  the  celebrated  marble  sculptures  called 
the  Trophies  of  Marius  (misnamed).  Winckelmann 
refers  them  to  the  time  of  Domitian,  and  recent 
writers  have  even  assigned  them  to  so  late  a date  as 
Alexander  Severus. 

In  the  centre  of  the  piazza  is  a bronze  eques- 
trian statue  of  Marcus  Aurelius.  In  the  middle 
ages  it  was  supposed  to  be  a statue  of  Constantine, 
a fortunate  error  for  the  interests  of  art,  since 
it  was  this  belief  which  preserved  it  from  destruction. 
There  is  a great  uncertainty  as  to  where  it  originally 
stood,  some  supposing  it  was  in  the  fore-court  in 
front  of  the  Temple  of  Antoninus  and  Faustina  in 
the  Forum;  others,  on  the  brick  pedestal  at  the  foot 
of  the  arch  of  Septimus  Severus.  It  was  subsequently 
placed  in  front  of  the  Lateran,  and  was  removed  to 
its  present  position  by  Michael  Angelo  in  1538.  It 
stands  on  a pedestal  of  marble  formed  from  a single 
block  of  an  architrave  found  in  the  Forum  of  Tra- 
jan. It  is  one  of  the  very  few  ancient  equestrian 
statues  in  bronze  which  have  been  preserved  entire, 
and,  as  a specimen  of  ancient  art,  is  admitted  to  be 
the  finest  in  existence.  It  was  originally  gilt,  as  may 
be  seen  from  the  traces  of  the  gold  still  visible  on 

(i57) 


the  horse’s  head.  The  admiration  of  Michael  Angelo 
for  this  statue  is  well  known;  it  is  related  that  he 
said  to  the  horse  “ Cammina,”  and  declared  that  its 
action  was  full  of  life.  So  highly  is  it  prized  that 
even  in  recent  years  an  officer  was  regularly  appointed 
to  take  care  of  it,  under  the  name  of  the  Custode 
del  Cavallo . A bunch  of  flowers  is  annually  presented 
to  the  chapter  of  the  Lateran  basilica  as  an  acknowl- 
edgment that  it  belongs  to  them.  While  the  statue 
stood  in  front  of  the  Lateran  in  1347  it  played  an 
important  part  in  the  festivities  on  the  elevation  of 
Cola  di  Rienzi  to  the  rank  of  tribune.  On  that  oc- 
casion wine  was  made  to  flow  out  of  one  nostril  and 
water  out  of  the  other. 

On  the  three  sides  of  the  piazza  are  the  separate 
buildings  designed  by  Michael  Angelo. 

The  central  one  is  the  Palace  of  the  Senators ; that 
on  the  right  the  Palace  of  the  Conservators ; that  on 
the  left  contains  the  Museum  of  the  Capitol. 

The  Museum  of  the  Capitol  was  begun  by  Clement 

XII. ,  and  augmented  by  Benedict  XIV.,  Clement 

XIII. ,  Pius  VII.,  and  Leo  XII.  It  is  a most  inter- 

esting collection,  although  much  less  extensive  than 
that  of  the  Vatican. 

In  the  Hall  of  the  Dying  Gladiator  nearly  all  the 
sculptures  are  of  the  highest  order  as  works  of  art, 

(158) 


the  greater  part  of  which,  having  been  carried  to 
Paris  in  1796,  were  brought  back  here  in  1816. 

Besides  the  celebrated  figure  from  which  the  hall 
derives  its  name,  we  find  here  the  “ Antinous  of  the 
Capitol,”  and  a repetition  of  the  “ Faun  of  Prax- 
iteles.” 

The  Hall  of  the  Faun  receives  its  name  from  the 
celebrated  Faun  in  rosso  antico,  found  in  Hadrian’s 
Villa,  valuable  not  only  for  the  rare  material,  but  for 
its  fine  sculpture.  It  stands  on  an  altar  dedicated  to 
Serapis. 


(161) 


M array . 


VENUS  OF  MELOS,  LOUVRE. 


PROBABLY  THE  WORK  OF  ALEXANDROS,  SON  OF 
MENIDES  OF  ANTIOCHEIA. 


TT  is  with  no-  little  reluctance  that  we  place  this 
noblest  conception  of  the  female  form  among  the 
works  of  this  late  period.  But  the  evidence,  both 
external  and  internal,  constrains  us  to  refer  it  to  that 
age  of  genial  eclecticism  and  imitation  to  which  we 
owe  such  marvels  of  art  as  the  Belvedere  Torso  and 
the  Borghese  warrior.  We  must  regard  this  grandest 
and  noblest  representation  of  the  mighty  Goddess  with 
the  same  feelings  as  are  inspired  by  the  rare  golden 
days  of  autumn,  which  rival  in  beauty,  and  surpass 
in  charm  and  interest,  the  uniform  brightness  of  the 
height  of  summer. 

The  Venus  of  Melos  was  discovered  in  1820,  by  a 
peasant,  in  a niche  of  the  buried  walls  of  the  old 
town  of  Melos,  in  the  island  of  the  same  name.  It 
was  purchased  by  the  French  Ambassador  at  Con- 

(162) 


stantinople,  the  Marquis  de  Riviere,  and  presented  by 
him  to  Louis  XVIII.,  who  placed  it  in  the  Louvre. 

It  is  composed  of  two  blocks  of  marble,  which 
unite  just  above  the  garment  which  envelops  her  legs. 
Of  the  arms,  which  are  both  unfortunately  lost,  the 
left  was  made  separately  and  fixed  to  the  body. 
The  tip  of  the  nose  has  been  added  in  modern 
times ; and  at  an  earlier  period  that  part  of  the  left 
foot  which  projects  from  the  drapery  was  restored, 
but  so  badly  that  it  was  removed  again.  This  foot 
has  been  again  restored  quite  recently.  The  ears  are 
pierced  for  rings. 

Two  years  later  (1822)  part  of  a left  arm  and  a left 
hand  grasping  an  apple  were  discovered,  which  many 
persons  still  consider  to  belong  to  the  statue.  They 
certainly  look  like  the  results  of  a clumsy  attempt 
to  restore  the  missing  parts.  M.  de  Longperier,  in 
a letter  to  Friederichs,  declares  that  the  plinth  in- 
scribed with  the  name  of  Alexandros  was  found  at 
the  same  time  with  the  statue  and  brought  to  Paris, 
and  there  purposely  destroyed : “ On  avait  dit  au 

Roi  Louis  XVIII.,  que  la  statue  etait  l’ceuvre  du 
celebre  sculpteur  de  Phryne  (Praxiteles),  et  je  crois 
que  ce  fut  la  cause  de  la  perte  de  l’inscription.” 

The  attitude  of  the  Goddess  is  a very  peculiar 
one,  not  easy  to  be  accounted  for.  She  stands 

(165) 


proudly  erect,  inclining  from  the  waist  upwards  to 
the  right,  but  facing  slightly  round  to  the  left.  She 
rests  the  whole  weight  of  her  stately  form  on  the 

right  leg,  while  the  left  foot,  which  is  lost,  was 
raised  and  rested  on  some  object  — a helmet  or  a tor- 
toise. 

Her  pose  affords  an  example  of  that  pleasing  un- 
dulation of  the  human  form  which,  according  to 
Winckelmann,  was  first  introduced  by  Lysippus. 

The  beautiful  rhythm,  however,  is  obscured  by  the 
loss  of  the  fine  arms  which  must  have  belonged  to  so 
majestic  and  superb  a figure.  The  lower  limbs  of  the 
statue,  which  is  nude  to  the  hips,  are  draped  rather 
than  clothed  in  a mantle,  which  is  arranged  solely  with 
a view  to  artistic  effect.  The  too  small  head  is  sup- 
ported by  a too  long  neck,  and  the  oval  of  the 

haughty  face  is  shorter  than  in  most  of  the  statues  of 
the  preceding  period.  The  upper  eyelid  extends  farther 
than  usual  beyond  the  lower,  which  is  slightly  raised 
in  the  manner  characteristic  of  Aphrodite.  It  is  this 
formation  which  makes  the  eye  itself  look  longer 

than  it  really  is,  and  imparts  somewhat  of  the  win- 
ning, languishing  expression  which  assures  us  that, 
after  all,  this  stern,  disdainful  woman  is  the  Goddess 
of  Love. 

The  ears  are  partly  covered  by  the  hair,  which  is 

(166) 


simply  and  elegantly  tied  into  a knot  at  the  back 
of  the  head,  like  that  of  the  Medicean  Venus.  The 
nude  forms  are  moulded  with  admirable  power  on 
the  grandest  scale,  with  a clearness  and  purity  of 
outline  worthy  of  the  best  period  of  Grecian  art. 
The  figure  is  ideal  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word ; 
it  is  a form  which  transcends  all  our  experience, 
which  has  no  prototype  or  equal  in  the  actual  world, 
and  beyond  which  no  effort  of  the  imagination  can 
rise. 

As  we  contemplate  with  something  like  awe  this 
beau-ideal  of  proud,  majestic  womanhood,  our  thought.^  V 
naturally  recur  to  the  very  different  form  under  which 
the  Goddess  is  represented  to  us  in  the  Florentine 
statue.  In  the  latter  we  see  the  tender,  delicate  form 
of  a young  girl  in  the  first  flush  of  youth,  who  feels 
the  influence  of  the  love  which  she  inspires,  and 
whose  charming  face  expresses  at  once  her  bashful 
timidity  and  half-conscious  coquetry. 

The  former,  whose  grand  form  is  that  of  a fully 
developed  woman,  stands  before  us  in  quiet  majesty 
— proud,  cold,  and  self-sufficing;  lovable,  indeed,  but 
seeking  no  love  from  us.  It  is  no  longer  the  ideal 
of  a lovely  woman,  it  is  the  Goddess , who  does  not 
condescend  to  ask,  or  try  to  win,  our  homage,  but 
demands  it  by  her  mere  presence,  as  of  right  divine. 

(167) 


The  peculiarity  of  the  attitude  of  the  Venus  of 
Melos,  and  the  loss  of  her  arms,  which  might  explain 
it,  have  given  rise  to  countless  theories  respecting  the 
action  in  which  she  is  engaged.  Everything  about 
her,  except  her  lustrous  beauty,  even  the  material 
from  which  she  is  carved,  is  matter  of  dispute.  One 
connoisseur  says  Parian  marble,  another,  the  so-called 
coralitique  of  Asia  Minor. 

If  the  hand  with  the  apple  were  genuine,  we  should 
have  the  Cyprian  queen  in  the  act  of  holding  up 
her  prize.  According  to  another  interpretation,  she 
is  contemplating  her  own  victorious  charms  in  the 
polished  surface  of  Mars’  shield.  If  she  was  satisfied 
with  the  reflection,  her  pleasure  is  very  ill- expressed, 
and  the  direction  of  her  gaze  is  far  too  high.  It 
is  inconceivable,  too,  that  the  artist  would  choose  to 
conceal  the  greater  portion  of  her  glorious  form  by 
the  interposition  of  a large  shield. 

The  most  extraordinary  exposition  is  that  lately 
broached  by  M.  Geskel  Salomons,  who  thinks  that 
the  Venus  of  Melos  once  adorned  a gymnasium,  and 
stood  on  one  side  of  Heracles  as  Pleasure , as  a 
pendant  to  Virtue  on  the  other,  in  a group  repre- 
senting the  famous  “ Choice  of  Heracles  ” ! 

If  we  choose  to  regard  her  as  a single  and  inde- 
pendent figure,  the  most  plausible  explanation  of  her 

( 1 63  ) . 


attitude  is  suggested  by  the  beautiful  statue  called  the 
“ Victory  of  Brescia/’  which  is  really  a Venus  restored 
as  a Nike  with  wings  and  buckler,  probably  in  the 

time  of  Vespasian,  who  founded  the  temple  where  it 
was  discovered.  She  is  there  represented  as  holding 
a buckler  in  her  left  hand,  on  which  she  is  inscribing 
the  names  of  fallen  heroes. 

The  difficulty  of  explaining  her  attitude  satisfactorily 
as  a single  figure  appears  to  most  observers  insuper- 
able. De  Quincey  was  the  first  to  suggest  that  she 
formed  part  of  a group  with  Ares,  whose  anger 

she  is  endeavoring  to  appease  by  her  caresses ; and 
he  refers  to  a medal  of  Faustina,  the  younger,  in 

support  of  this  view.  The  expression  of  her  face  gives 
no  countenance  to  this  hypothesis.  Millingen  also 

thinks  that  she  is  standing  by  the  side  of  Mars,  but 
he  regards  the  pair  in  the  more  serious  light  of  a 
“ couple  conjugal .”  This  is,  perhaps,  the  best  explanation 
that  has  yet  been  brought  forward.  . . . The  “ group 

theory  ” derives  confirmation  from  the  well-known  statues 
of  Hadrian  and  Sabina  in  the  Louvre,  in  which  the 
latter  is  evidently  copied  from  the  Melian  Aphrodite, 
and  Hadrian  from  the  Mars  Borghese  in  the  same 
museum.  The  action  of  Venus-Sabina,  who  lays  her 
hand  on  the  breast  of  her  companion,  Mars-Hadrian, 
would  very  well  suit  the  position  of  our  statue. 

( 169) 


This  view  of  the  case,  which  seems  the  best,  does 
not  necessitate  a love  scene,  in  which  the  Goddess  is 
evidently  not  in  the  mood  to  take  a part.  She  is 

grave  and  stately,  as  becomes  her  character  as  an 
object  of  worship  in  a temple,  and  as  consort  of  the 
powerful  God  of  War.  The  Venus  de  Milo  is  justly 
admired,  not  only  for  the  grandeur  of  its  design,  the 
perfection  of  its  proportion,  and  the  exquisite  mould- 
ing of  the  superb  and  luxuriant  form,  but  for  the  vivid 
freshness  of  the  flesh  and  the  velvet  softness  of  the 
skin,  in  which  it  stands  unrivalled  in  ancient  and 
modern  art. 

The  extraordinary  skill  with  which  minute  details, 
such  as  the  folds  of  skin  in  the  neck,  are  harmo- 
nised with  the  ideal  beauty  of  the  whole  is  beyond 
all  imitation  and  all  praise.  The  life-like  effect  of 

this  wonderful  masterpiece  is  greatly  enhanced  by  the 
rare  and  perfect  preservation  of  the  epidermis,  and 
by  the  beautiful,  warm,  yellowish  tinge  which  the 
lapse  of  centuries  has  given  to  the  marble.  In  the 
drapery  it  is  rather  the  execution,  which  is  very 
meritorious,  than  the  design  which  we  admire.  It 
is  not  in  accordance  with  the  practice  of  the  best 
period  to  use  the  dress  as  a mere  ornament  to 
heighten  the  effect  of  the  nude.  This  is  too  evidently 
done  in  the  case  before  us ; for  the  drapery  — which  is 

(170) 


gracefully  arranged  round  the  lower  limbs,  and  out 
of  which  the  beautiful  nude  form  rises  like  a flower 
from  its  calyx  — could  not  possibly  remain  where  it  is 
for  a single  moment.  Such  a want  of  truth,  such  an 
artifice  de  toilette , is  a strong  argument  against  the 
claim  of  this  statue  to  belong  to  the  age  of  Pheidias, 
or  even  Scopas. 


THE  FIGHTING  GLADIATOR,  LOUVRE. 


' I “''HIS  statue,  belonging  to  the  Villa  Borghese,  was 
found  in  the  time  of  Paul  V.,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  at  Antium,  where  there 
was  once  a palace  of  the  emperor.  The  Apollo 

Belvedere  had  been  discovered  more  than  a century 
before  in  the  same  ruins. 

At  the  time  when  the  critic  took  little  part  in  the 
researches  of  the  antiquary,  there  was  given  to  this 
statue  the  common  designation  of  the  Borghese  Gladi- 
ator, notwithstanding  the  great  difference  between  the 
character  of  this  figure  and  the  character  and  the 
accessories  of  a great  number  of  statues  which  are 
certainly  gladiators,  and  which  are  never  represented 
naked. 

This  hero  is  nude,  and  in  the  act  of  fighting  with 
an  enemy,  who  must  be  on  horseback.  With  his  left 
arm  he  raises  his  shield  to  parry  the  blow  which 
threatens  him,  while  with  his  right  hand,  armed  and 

072) 


extended  behind,  he  is  about  to  strike  his  adversary 
with  all  his  force.  The  pose  of  this  statue  is  admi- 
rably calculated  for  this  double  action,  and  each  of 
its  members,  each  articulation,  each  muscle  bears  the 
impress  of  motion  and  life,  more  perhaps  than  any 
other  statue  which  has  issued  from  the  hand  of  a 
Greek  artist. 

The  author  of  this  masterpiece  is  Abasias  of  Ephesus , 
son  of  Dositheus.  He  has  engraved  his  name  on  the 
trunk  which  serves  to  support  the  figure.  Winckel- 
mann  thinks  this  the  oldest  statue  bearing  the  sculp- 
tor’s name. 

Clarac . 

The  so-called  Borghese  Gladiator,  the  work  of  the 
Ephesian  artist  Agasias,  was  discovered  In  Capo 
d’Anzo  (Antium)  in  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  has  been  in  Paris  since  1808. 

The  whole  attitude  and  bearing  of  this  bold  and 
striking  figure  necessarily  imply  an  opponent,  but  it 
does  not  follow,  as  O.  Muller  seems  to  think,  that 
our  statue  must  have  formed  part  of  a group.  The 
imagination  of  the  beholder  readily  supplies  all  that 
is  necessary  to  complete  the  scene.  There  is  no 
adequate  reason  for  the  designation  “ Gladiator,”  which 
has  been  abandoned  with  general  consent.  Nor  is  it 

(i75) 


the  representation  of  a hero  or  mythical  personage, 
but  simply  a “ study  ” of  a strong  and  active  comba- 
tant, who  is  defending  himself  with  his  shield  against 
an  adversary  in  a higher  position  than  himself — prob- 
ably a rider  — and  at  the  same  time  watching  his 
opportunity  to  deal  a decisive  blow  with  his  sword. 
The  attitude  represents  the  most  violent  extreme  of 
motion  and  exertion,  and  the  most  strained  attention. 
It  has  been  suddenly  assumed  in  the  exigency  of 
the  combat,  and  is  therefore  transitory,  carrying  the 
imagination  irresistibly  forward  to  the  inevitable 
relaxation  and  rebound.  The  striking  effect  which 
this  statue  invariably  produces  on  the  beholder  is 
largely  owing  to  the  rarity  and  singularity  of  the 
attitude.  It  is  not  drawn  directly  from  life,  nor  does 
it  remind  us  of  anything  within  the  range  of  our 
own  experience  or  imagination.  It  appears  to  have 
been  deliberately  invented  as  affording  the  best  field 
for  the  display  of  the  artist’s  extraordinary  anatomical 
learning  and  technical  mastery.  We  are  at  first 
surprised  to  find  the  expression,  or  rather  want 
of  expression,  in  the  face  so  little  in  accordance 
with  the  violent  excitement  indicated  by  the  forced 
attitude  of  the  body.  The  features  are  cast  in 
plebeian  mould,  and  there  is  nothing  ■ in  them  to 
excite  either  sympathy  or  curiosity  — no  sign  of 

(176) 


wrath  or  fear,  nothing  beyond  the  eager  watchful- 
ness of  a man  engaged  in  a trial  of  skill  with  a 
well-trained  adversary.  Wonderful  as  it  is,  therefore, 
in  many  respects,  the  statue  has  no  ideal  or  personal, 
no  tragic  or  pathetic,  interest  for  us,  and  it  con- 
veys no  spiritual  meaning.  It  is  addressed  not  to  the 
feelings  or  the  imagination,  but  to  the  intellect ; and  we 
admire  not  so  much  the  work  itself,  as  the  learning 
and  skill  of  the  artist,  who  in  its  creation  triumphed 
over  so  many  difficulties.  And  as  a work  of  this 
second  class  the  Borghese  Combatant  claims  one  of 
the  highest  places.  The  boldness  and  novelty  of  the 
design,  the  accurate  knowledge  and  marvellous  skill 
displayed  in  the  treatment  of  the  muscles  in  their 
abnormal  state  of  extreme  tension,  are  a source  of 
wonder  and  delight  to  the  man  of  science  as  well 
as  the  artist,  and  have  caused  this  statue  to  be 
regarded  as  an  almost  perfect  model  for  the  study 
of  plastic  anatomy. 


(i77) 


Perry . 


DIANA  A LA  BICHE,  LOUVRE. 


' I ''HE  Artemis  of  Versailles,  generally  known  under 
the  name  of  the  “ Diane  a la  Biche  ,”  has  been 
in  France  since  the  time  of  Henry  IV.,  and  was  for 
a long  time  at  Versailles.  It  now  forms  one  of  the 
chief  ornaments  of  the  Louvre.  The  left  hand,  with 
the  bow,  is  a restoration.  The  form  of  the  Goddess, 
though  light,  and  even  elegant,  gives  the  impression 
of  great  strength  and  activity.  She  is  dressed  in  a 
short,  tucked-up  chiton  suited  to  the  huntress,  and 
wears  the  regal  stephane  on  her  head. 

Her  feet  are  clad  in  highly  ornamental  sandals,  sim- 
ilar to  those  of  the  Vatican  Apollo.  She  is  ad- 
vancing at  a rapid  pace,  as  if  to  meet  some  pressing 
emergency,  holding  her  bow  in  her  left  hand,  and 
gazing  intently  on  some  distant  object,  while  with 
her  right  hand  she  draws  forth  an  arrow  from  her 
quiver.  By  her  side  springs  her  favorite  hind,  which, 
in  spite  of  its  sex,  is  horned.  The  expression  of 

(178) 


her  face,  as  becomes  the  virgin  huntress,  is  earnest, 
and  even  cold. 

The  striking  resemblance  of  this  figure  to  the  Vati- 
can Apollo  has  long  been  observed,  but  only  recently 
accounted  for. 

They  are  evidently  conceived  in  the  same  spirit, 

and  correspond  in  general  design  and  treatment,  in 

their  proportions  and  in  minor  details  — eg.,  the 
richly  adorned  sandals  — to  such  a degree  as  to 

justify  us  in  referring  them,  not  only  to  the  same 
period  and  school,  but  even  to  the  same  group. 
She  is  the  very  counterpart  of  her  brother  in  the 
Vatican. 

Were  it  not  for  the  almost  certain  connexion  be- 
tween the  two  statues,  we  might  be  inclined  to  abide 
by  the  earlier  interpretation,  and  regard  the  Versailles 
Artemis  as  the  ideal  Huntress,  the  embodiment  of  the 
love  of  the  chase.  Viewed  in  this  light,  the  figure 
would  have  no  mythological  signification,  but  would 
be  merely  an  example  of  very  exalted  genre . She 
is  thus  represented  in  the  Hall  of  the  Biga  in  the 

Vatican,  where  she  is  discharging  an  arrow. 

But  if  the  Apollo  Belvedere  is  flashing  destruction 
on  the  Gauls  from  the  heights  of  Delphi  with  his 
Father’s  aegis,  then  we  may  fairly  look  on  the  Diane 
a la  Biche  as  a copy  of  the  statue  of  Artemis,  ded- 

(181) 


icated  at  Delphi  by  the  ZEtolians  after  the  repulse 
of  the  Gauls.  She  would  then  be  one  of  the  “ White 
Maidens,”  rushing  from  her  sanctuary  to  aid  her 
brother  in  the  defence  of  the  sacred  hill  of  Pytho, 
“ renowned  for  golden  prophecy.” 

Perry. 

LEGEND. 

The  Arcadian  Artemis  (the  real  Artemis  of  the  Greeks) 
was  the  daughter  of  Zeus  and  Leto,  and  the  twin-sister  of 
Apollo.  She  was  the  goddess  of  Hunting  and  Chastity, 
and  having  obtained  from  her  father  permission  to  lead 
a life  of  celibacy,  she  ever  remained  a maiden  divinity. 
Artemis  is  the  feminine  counterpart  of  her  brother,  the 
glorious  god  of  light,  and  like  him,  though  she  deals  out 
destruction  and  sudden  death  to  men  and  animals,  she 
was  also  able  to  alleviate  suffering  and  cure  diseases.  Like 
Apollo  also,  she  is  skilled  in  the  use  of  the  bow,  but  in  a 
far  more  eminent  degree,  for  in  the  character  of  Artemis, 
who  devoted  herself  to  the  chase  with  passionate  ardor, 
this  becomes  an  all-distinguishing  feature.  Armed  with 
her  bow  and  quiver,  and  attended  by  her  train  of  huntresses, 
who  were  nymphs  of  the  woods  and  springs,  she  roamed 
over  the  mountains  in  pursuit  of  her  favorite  exercise, 
destroying  in  her  course  the  wild  animals  of  the  forest. 
When  the  chase  was  ended,  Artemis  and  her  maidens  loved 

(182) 


S* 


to  assemble  in  a shady  grove,  or  on  the  banks  of  a favo- 
rite stream,  where  they  joined  in  the  merry  song,  or 
graceful  dance,  and  made  the  hills  resound  with  their 
joyous  shouts. 

The  Huntress- goddess  is  represented  as  being  a head 
taller  than  her  attendant  nymphs,  and  always  appears 
as  a youthful  and  slender  maiden.  Her  features  are 
beautiful,  but  wanting  in  gentleness  of  expression ; her 
hair  is  gathered  negligently  into  a knot  at  the  back 
of  her  well-shaped  head ; and  her  figure,  though  some- 
what masculine,  is  most  graceful  in  its  attitude  and 
proportions.  The  short  robe  she  wears  leaves  her 
limbs  free  for  the  exercise  of  the  chase,  her  devotion 
to  which  is  indicated  by  the  quiver  which  is  slung 
over  her  shoulder,  and  the  bow  which  she  bears  in 
her  left  hand. 


(185) 


Be  reus. 


PALLAS  FROM  VELLETRI,  LOUVRE. 


r | AHE  daughter  of  Jupiter  is  represented  with  the 
majestic  beauty  which  belongs  to  the  personifi- 
cation of  wisdom,  to  the  genius  of  the  sciences  and 
arts ; nothing  can  be  more  noble  than  her  dignified 
attitude,  nothing  more  artistic  in  design  than  the 
peplus,  which,  forming  a rich  drapery  around  her 
limbs,  falls  to  her  feet,  its  graceful  folds  being  ar- 
ranged entirely  in  accordance  with  the  taste  of  the 
ancient  Greek  school,  which  the  style  of  this  statue 
and  the  simplicity  of  its  design  resemble.  The  god- 
dess, her  head  covered  with  her  helmet,  and  wear- 
ing her  aegis,  ought  to  have  a lance  in  her  hand ; 
but  her  gentle  air  and  quiet  glance  indicate  that 
insignia  of  peace  are  none  the  less  dear  to  her  than 
those  of  war. 

Discovered  in  1797,  ten  leagues  from  Rome,  in 
the  territory  of  Velletri,  among  the  ruins  of  a 
Roman  pleasure-house,  it  was  bought  by  the  French 

(186) 


government.  The  place  where  it  was  found  has 

given  it  the  name  which  it  bears.  The  head  was 

separated  from  the  body  and  only  had  to  be  re- 
placed ; there  is  no  restoration  about  it,  except  the 
end  of  the  nose.  The  hands,  wrists,  and  the  toes  of 
the  left  foot  are  modern.  The  hair  may  have  been 
.painted  red. 

The  drapery  of  this  beautiful  statue  is  designed 
with  great  skill ; the  part  of  the  tunic  which  covers 
the  breast  and  falls  over  the  girdle  is  of  wonderful 
flexibility,  and,  without  detracting  from  the  rest  of 
the  costume,  is  very  rich  in  detail.  All  the  left  side 
is  a beautiful  combination  of  graceful  folds. 

We  see  on  the  edge  of  the  peplus  that  wrinkling 
which  is  found  in  the  drapery  of  statues  of  only  the 
best  age  of  Greek  art.  The  aegis,  arranged  grace- 
fully at  the  top  of  the  tunic,  forms  an  edge  or  bor- 
der for  it,  and  is  of  a different  shape  from  that 
which  one  ordinarily  sees. 

The  very  simple  foot-covering,  composed  of  a 
triple  sole,  and  fastened  by  two  straps  or  bands,  is 
a kind  of  sandal.  The  soles,  like  those  of  Tyrrhenian 
shoes,  were  often  made  of  several  pieces  of  cork,  and 
were  as  much  as  two  and  a half  inches  thick,  like 
those  of  the  Minerva  of  the  Parthenon.  The  hair 
of  the  goddess  is  treated  with  great  taste,  and  ad- 

(189) 


mirably  suits  the  shape  of  the  head.  The  unornamented 
helmet  agrees  with  the  simplicity  of  the  rest  of  the 
costume. 

This  part  of  the  armor  of  the  Greeks,  especially 
in  antique  statues,  differs  from  the  Roman  helmet  in 
its  long,  oval  form,  in  the  holes  in  the  visor,  and 
in  the  opening  in  the  front  of  it.  These  helmets 
are  placed  on  the  back  of  the  head,  and  when  one 
wishes  to  make  use  of  the  visor,  which  is  not  mova- 
ble, the  helmet  is  drawn  forward  and  lowered  over 
the  eyes.  Several  bas-reliefs,  and  also  the  paintings 
on  some  very  old  vases,  show  warriors  having  the 
visor  lowered  in  this  manner.  The  helmet  of  this 
Pallas  has  no  side  pieces  which,  when  pulled  down 
over  the  cheeks,  fasten  under  the  chin ; it  is  also 
without  a crest.  Some  parts  of  this  Pallas  appear  to 
have  been  colored. 


Clarac. 


THE  LOUVRE. 


HOME  OF  THE  VENUS  OF  MELOS. 
HOME  OF  THE  FIGHTING  GLADIATOR. 
HOME  OF  DIANA  A LA  BICHE. 

HOME  OF  PALLAS  FROM  VELLETRI. 


T)HILIPPE  AUGUSTUS,  about  the  year  1200,  con- 
**■  verted  a hunting-seat  of  the  early  French 
kings  on  this  spot  into  a feudal  fortress,  with  a 
donjon  (Grosse  Tour  du  Louvre)  in  the  centre,  and 
surrounded  by  a deep  moat,  or  ditch.  Some  idea 
may  be  formed  of  its  appearance  from  the  existing 
conical-capped  towers  of  the  Conciergerie  and  Palais 
de  Justice,  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river. 

The  oldest  part  of  the  existing  building  is  the 
south  end  of  the  west  side,  designed  by  Pierre  Les- 
cot for  Francis  I.,  who  pulled  down  the  old  fortress 
to  substitute  in  its  place  a palace  in  the  then  so- 
called  Italian  style.  His  successors  in  time  added  to 
it;  Henry  II.  and  Catherine  de  Medici  by  finishing 

(193) 


the  west  wing  of  the  court  known  as  Vieux  Louvre, 
and  commencing  the  south  wing  stretching  along  the 
Seine. 

In  this  portion  was  celebrated,  1572,  the  marriage 
of  Margaret  de  Valois  with  the  King  of  Navarre 
(afterwards  Henry  IV.),  in  the  presence  of  most  of 
the  chiefs  of  the  Huguenots,  only  five  days  before  the 
massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  when  they  were  fired 
on  from  a window  of  this  very  palace  by  the  in- 
famous Charles  IX.  The  window  was  in  a part  of 
the  building  pulled  down  by  Louis  XIII.  Henry 
IV.  began  the  long  gallery  to  connect  the  Louvre 
with  the  Tuileries,  and  completed  it  so  far  as  to  be 
able  to  walk  through  it  before  his  death.  After  his 
assassination  by  Ravaillac,  his  body  was  laid  in  state 
in  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  Vieux  Louvre. 

Under  Louis  XIV.,  at  the  suggestion  of  Colbert, 
Bernini  was  brought  from  Italy  to  complete  the 
palace ; but  his  designs  were  superseded  by  those  of 
Claude  Perrault , a native  architect,  originally  a phy- 
sician, who  commenced,  1666,  the  east  front  of  the 
well-known  and  magnificent  colonnade  of  twenty- eight 
twin  Corinthian  columns,  flanking  the  grand  gateway 
towards  the  church  of  St.  Germain  l’Auxerrois,  a 
fagade  which  has  not  been  surpassed  in  modern 
times,  either  for  elegance  or  propriety. 

( J94) 


The  south  or  river  front,  also  by  Perrault,  displays 
forty  Corinthian  half-columns.  He  left  behind  him 
designs  for  three  sides  of  the  great  court.  The  north 
front  had  been  begun  by  Lemercier,  some  years 
earlier.  The  want  of  money,  and  the  preference  of 
Louis  XIV.  for  Versailles,  caused  the  Louvre  to  re- 
main unfinished.  A large  part  of  it  even  stood 
unroofed  down  to  the  time  of  Napoleon  I.,  who  con- 
ceived in  1796  the  idea  of  converting  the  palace  into 
a national  museum,  in  which  he  collected,  not  only 
the  art  treasures  of  France,  but  combined  with  them 
the  spoils  of  the  principal  galleries  of  Europe,  the 
trophies  of  his  victorious  campaigns.  The  restitution 
of  these  acquisitions  of  plunder  was  made  to  their 
original  owners  in  1815,  after  Waterloo,  by  the  justice 
and  firmness  of  England,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the 
French.  The  workmen  sent  to  take  down  the  pictures 
were  protected  from  molestation  by  a British  sentry 
at  every  fifty  yards  of  the  gallery,  and  a British 
detachment  kept  guard  in  the  Place  du  Carrousel. 

Napoleon  repaired  what  had  fallen  into  decay  and 
finished  the  general  plan  in  completing  the  long  pict- 
ure-gallery connecting  the  Louvre  with  the  Tuileries. 

The  Louvre  was  assaulted  by  the  mob  on  the  side 
towards  S.  Germain  l’Auxerrois,  during  the  three  days 

( l99 ) 


of  the  July  Revolution  in  1830,  and  was  bravely,  but 
ineffectually,  defended  by  the  Swiss  Guards,  who  were 
called  away  at  an  important  moment  by  order  of 
Marshal  Marmont.  The  assailants  who  fell  in  the 
assault  were  buried  at  first  in  the  garden  fronting 
the  colonnade  of  Perrault,  but  their  remains  were 
afterwards  removed  to  the  Place  de  la  Bastille.  The 
spot  was  subsequently  converted  into  a garden  by 
Louis  Philippe.  In  1871  the  insurgents  of  the  Com- 
mune set  fire  to  the  Louvre,  but  succeeded  in  destroy- 
ing only  the  valuable  library  of  art.  Happily,  the 
most  precious  chefs  cT  oeuvre  had  been  sent  to  the 
arsenal  at  Brest  for  safety  before  the  siege  by  the 
Prussians. 

The  embellishments  of  the  Louvre  made  under  the 
Restoration  by  Louis  Philippe  have  been  entirely  left 
in  the  shade  by  the  aggrandizements  bestowed  on  it 
by  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III.  The  fronts  towards 
the  great  court  (already  the  most  beautiful  of  any 
modern  palace  in  Europe)  were  repaired  and  restored 
by  him,  and  he  also  caused  the  cheerful  gardens, 
which  now  enliven  it,  to  be  laid  out.  The  houses 
which  hemmed  in  the  palace  on  the  side  where  the 
Rue  de  Rivoli  now  runs  were  cleared  away  by  him. 
He  magnificently  completed  the  edifice  by  raising  the 
vast  pile  of  buildings  connecting  the  Louvre  with  the 

(200) 


Tuileries,  which  on  one  side  finishes  the  Rue  de 
Rivoli,  and  on  the  other  the  grand  square  called  the 
Place  Napoleon,  a continuation  of  the  Place  du 
Carrousel. 

The  enormous  collection  of  works  of  art  of  the 
Musee  du  Louvre  occupies  nearly  the  whole  of  the  Louvre 
Palace  and  the  Louvre  Gallery.  As  a whole  it  is,  per- 
haps, the  finest,  and,  as  regards  numbers,  the  largest  in 
Europe,  although  it  must  yield  in  Italian  Art  to  those 
of  the  Vatican  and  Florence ; in  Dutch , to  those  of  the 
Hague , Amsterdam , and  Antwerp ; in  Roman  Antiquities , 
to  the  Museum  of  the  Capitol  and  Vatican  at  Rome,  and 
to  that  of  Naples ; and  in  Greek  Sculpture , to  the  British 
Museum.  On  the  ground  floors  are  placed  the  sculp- 
tures of  every  period  and  country. 

In  the  Salle  des  Caryatides  Henry  IV.  celebrated  his 
nuptials  with  Marguerite  of  Valois,  and  here  his  body 
was  laid  after  his  assassination  by  Ravaillac.  Here  the 
Duke  of  Guise  hanged  four  of  the  chief  Leaguers  in 
1594,  and  here  Moliere  had  his  theatre  and  played. 
Its  present  name  is  derived  from  the  four  colossal 
caryatides  which  support  the  gallery  at  the  north 
end,  chefs  d' oeuvre  of  the  celebrated  Jean  Goujon, 
who  was  shot  here  at  his  work  during  the  Massacre 
of  St.  Bartholomew. 


(205) 


Murray. 


Among  the  famous  statues  contained  in  this  Museum 
may  be  found  the  Venus  of  Melos , the  Fighting 
Gladiator , the  Minerva  from  Velletrichir  and  Diana  a 
la  Biche. 


(206) 


3:65  f IRfNZC-CAUE8IA-i'n* ciovini  visiim 


NIOBE,  UFFIZI  PALACE. 


E must  now  turn  to  the  grandest  and  most  ex- 


* * tensive  work  of  statuary  which  the  Attic  art 
of  this  period  (400-323  B.C.)  produced,  namely,  the 
famous  group  of  Niobe  with  her  children.  Probably 
originally  placed  in  the  pediment  of  a temple  of  Apollo 
in  Asia  Minor,  it  was  subsequently  brought  to  Rome 
by  C.  Sosius,  who  ruled  as  governor  in  Syria  and 
Cilicia  in  the  year  38  B.C.,  and  was  placed  in  the 
temple  of  Apollo  Sosianus,  which  he  had  built.  It 
was  doubtful,  even  in  antiquity,  whether  this  work  were 
to  be  ascribed  to  Scopas  or  Praxiteles ; how  far  less, 
therefore,  are  we  able  to  decide  the  matter,  only  pos- 
sessing the  work,  as  we  do  in  later,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  indifferent  copies.  Although  from  the  passionate 
nature  of  the  subject  we  should  be  inclined  to  attrib- 
ute it  to  Scopas,  we  cannot  even  venture  to  offer 
this  as  a conjecture. 

The  group  was  found  in  Rome,  at  the  Porta  S. 


(21 1 ) 


Giovanni,  in  the  year  1583,  and  was  subsequently  con- 
veyed to  Florence,  where  it  is  now  preserved  in  the 
Gallery  of  the  Uffizi. 

It  consisted  of  the  mother  with  the  youngest  daugh- 
ter, three  other  daughters,  the  tutor  with  the  young- 
est son,  and  five  other  sons.  The  seventh  son  has 
since  been  discovered  in  a kneeling  Florentine  statue, 
but  the  alleged  daughter  of  Niobe,  at  Berlin,  can 
scarcely  have  belonged  to  the  group.  With  greater 
justice,  on  the  contrary,  a statue  at  Florence,  formerly 
designated  as  Psyche,  and  restored  according  to  this 
idea,  has  likewise  been  recognized  as  one  of  the 
Niobe  group.  On  the  whole,  we  have  the  mother  with 
the  youngest  daughter , the  tutor  with  the  youngest  son , 
and  six  sons  and  four  daughters  besides,  whom  we  may 
accept  with  certainty.  Possibly,  however,  these  may  not 
complete  the  group,  as  tradition  speaks  of  seven  sons 
and  as  many  daughters.  Of  all  the  various  copies  of 
the  separate  figures,  the  escaping  daughter  in  the 
Museo  Chiaramonti  in  the  Vatican  holds  the  first 
place.  The  vehemence  of  flight  which  flings  back  her 
garments  and  betrays  itself  with  the  utmost  truth  in 
her  whole  figure,  is  expressed  with  such  life-like  fresh- 
ness that  we  are  inclined  to  regard  it  as  an  original 
from  the  hand  of  Scopas  or  Praxiteles.  It  is  a pity 
that  the  head  and  arms  of  this  valuable  work  are 

(212 ) 


lost.  We  possess,  besides,  two  copies  of  the  son  lying 
outstretched  in  death,  one  in  the  Museum  at  Dresden, 
the  other  in  the  Glyptothek  at  Munich,  the  latter 
of  which,  found  in  the  Pal.  Bevilacqua  in  Verona, 
is  the  more  excellent  of  the  two. 

If  we  examine  the  group  as  it  now  exists,  we 
must  conceive  the  grand  form  of  the  mother  as  the 
central  point  of  the  composition.  Apollo  and  Diana 
may  be  supposed  as  outside  the  group.  Unseen  from 
above  they  have  just  begun  their  avenging  work  of 
destruction ; this  is  expressed  in  every  attitude,  in  the 
turning  of  the  fleeing  figures,  who  are  looking  up- 
wards in  alarm,  or  are  endeavoring  to  screen  them- 
selves with  their  garments.  One  of  the  sons  is 
already  extended  lifeless ; he  probably  filled  the  left 
angle  of  the  pediment.  Another  is  supporting  himself 
against  a rock,  and  is  gazing  upwards  with  an  eye 
already  almost  fixed  in  death,  to  see  from  whence  the 
destruction  has  overtaken  him.  One  brother  is  en- 
deavoring, too  late,  to  protect  his  sister  with  his 
garments,  and  to  clasp  her  in  his  arms ; she  has 
fallen  wounded  at  his  feet,  “ inanimate  as  a broken 
flower;”  another  has  dropped  on  his  knees,  and, 
thrilling  with  pain,  is  endeavoring  to  touch  the  wound 
on  his  back,  while  the  tutor  is  trying  to  shield  the 
youngest. 


(217) 


All  the  others,  full  of  terror,  instinctively  flee  to  the  * 
mother,  as  if  she  who  had  so  often  afforded  them 

protection  could  preserve  them  from  the  avenging 
arm  of  the  gods.  Thus,  on  both  sides,  the  waves  of 
this  terrible  flight  surge  towards  the  centre,  where 
they  break  as  if  against  a rock,  in  the  sublime  figure 
of  Niobe,  this  “Mater  dolorosa”  of  antique  art. 
She  alone  stands  undismayed  in  the  sad  scene,  a 
mother  and  a queen  to  the  last.  While  she  clasps 

in  her  arms  her  youngest  daughter,  whose  tender 

childhood  had  not  preserved  her  from  the  avenging 

missiles,  bending  as  if  protectingly  over  the  sinking 
form  of  her  darling,  she  turns  her  proud  head  up- 
wards, before  her  left  hand  can  raise  her  garment  to 
conceal  the  agony  of  her  countenance,  and  gazes 
towards  the  avenging  goddess  with  a look  in  which 
sorrow  and  nobleness  of  mind  are  mingled.  In  this 
look  there  lies  neither  defiance  nor  supplication  for 
pity;  nothing  but  the  agonized  and  yet  majestic  ex- 
pression of  heroic  resignation  to  the  unalterable  des- 
tiny decreed  by  the  Gods,  is  worthy  of  a Niobe. 

In  this  wonderful  figure  the  whole  point  of  the 
composition  is  centered ; in  it  lies  that  atonement  for 
error  which,  in  a scene  full  of  such  horror  and  de- 
struction, moves  the  heart  of  the  spectator  to  tragic 
sympathy. 


(218) 


And  the  same  beauty  is  diffused  over  all  the  other 
parts  of  the  composition,  and  over  every  figure, 
imparting  to  them  a nobleness  which  purifies  and 
moderates  the  horror  of  such  a fearful  catastrophe. 

Lubke. 

From  the  great  superiority  in  the  stature  of  the 
Queen  herself,  as  central  figure,  and  the  difference  in 
the  height  of  the  other  figures,  it  was  at  first  supposed 
that  we  had  a pedimental  group  before  us.  It  has, 
however,  been  found  impossible  to  arrange  them 
within  a triangular  gable  in  any  intelligible  order. 
Among  the  many  theories  which  have  been  broached 
on  the  subject,  the  most  plausible  seems  to  be  that 
they  stood  on  an  undulatory,  rocky  base,  with  a 
not  too  distant  background,  so  as  to  produce  the 
effect  of  a very  high  relief  of  a somewhat  pictorial 
character.  According  to  this  view  Niobe  would  occupy 
the  highest  point,  and  the  children  from  each  side 
would  be  fleeing  towards  her  for  refuge.  In  any 
arrangement,  of  course,  the  godlike  mother  would 
occupy  the  centre,  and  her  place  is  indicated  by  the 
fact  that  she  alone  is  represented  en  face . The  next 
figure  on  Niobe’s  right  hand  is  the  first  daughter , 
who,  like  her  mother,  is  in  the  act  of  drawing  her 
garment  over  her  head  as  if  for  defence.  In  the 

(223) 


midst  of  her  flight  she  is  stopped  short  by  an  arrow, 
which  pierces  her  neck.  The  left  arm  is  bent  back 
to  the  wound,  and  the  whole  body  seems  paralysed 
by  the  shock.  The  beautiful  face  of  this  simple  and 
noble  figure  was  a favorite  model  with  the  Italian 
masters,  and  especially  with  Guido  Reni. 

The  second  daughter , who  is  following  the  first  in 
her  flight  towards  the  centre,  is  still  unhurt.  The  left 
hand,  which  is  rightly  restored,  is  widely  opened 
and  raised  in  astonishment,  while  with  her  right  hand 
she  seems  to  be  drawing  her  garment  over  her  head. 

Next  to  this  incomparable  daughter  comes,  in  the 
Florentine  group,  the  eldest  son , whose  left  arm  and 
half  the  lower  right  arm  with  the  drapery  about  it, 
have  been  restored,  so  as  to  efface  the  traces  of 
the  impact  of  another  figure.  It  is  plausibly  conjectured 
that  in  its  complete  state  it  was  an  exact  duplicate  of 
the  well-known  group  in  the  Vatican , which  Canova  first 
pointed  out  as  a member  of  the  Niobe  composition. 
The  Vatican  work  represents  a Young  Girl  with  a 
wound  in  her  left  breast,  leaning  against  her  brother, 
who  has  stopped  in  his  flight  to  assist  her,  and  is  sup- 
porting her  fainting  and  collapsing  frame.  Laying  one 
hand  affectionately  on  her  shoulder*  he  raises  his  gar- 
ment with  the  other,  as  if  to  protect  himself  and 
her.  This  is  one  of  those  touching  examples  of  love 

(224) 


and  pity  in  conflict  with  mere  selfish  fear,  which  so 
greatly  enhance  the  variety  and  interest  of  this  noble 
composition. 

Next  to  this  group  comes  another  son , whose 
raised  left  foot  rests  on  a rock,  as  if  he  were  mount- 
ing a height.  He  looks  behind  him  towards  the 
quarter  from  which  the  arrows  fly,  and  at  the  same 
time  raises  his  garment  with  his  left  hand,  as  if 
apprehensive  of  attack  from  the  other  side  also. 

The  next  place  is  properly  occupied  by  a beauti- 
ful figure,  formerly  called  “ Narcissus ,”  which  Thorwald- 
sen  first  recognized  as  a Niobid.  He  is  wounded  and 
has  fallen  on  his  knees,  and  is  trying  with  his  left 
hand  to  draw  the  deadly  weapon  from  his  back, 
while  he  throws  up  his  right  arm  in  an  agony  of 
pain. 

In  all  probability  the  last  figure  on  this  side  was  a 
Daughter  stretched  at  full  length  upon  the  ground , in 
responsion  to  the  dying  son  at  the  other  extremity 
of  the  group. 

Passing  to  Niobe’s  left  hand,  we  are  obliged  to 
leave  the  place  nearest  to  her  blank,  as  we  know 
of  no  figure  or  group  which  we  could  with  any 
certainty  place  in  the  original  composition.  Ottfried 
Muller  and  others  propose,  indeed,  to  insert  a group 
of  a sister  coming  to  the  aid  of  her  brother , which 

(229) 


they  have  put  together  on  the  authority  of  a gem, 
and  regard  as  a pendant  to  the  group  above  de- 
scribed (the  brother  protecting  the  sister).  Next  to 
this  gap  should  come  the  Pcedagogus , with  the  young- 
est son , who  are  separated  in  the  Florentine  series. 

A nearer  approach  to  the  original  design  is  found 
in  a group  discovered  in  1836  at  Soissons,  and 
now  in  the  Louvre,  in  which  the  attendant  slave  is 
laying  his  right  hand  protectingly  on  the  arm  of 
the  frightened  boy,  while  he  raises  his  left,  as  if  in 
supplication,  towards  the  height  on  which  the  divine 
archer  stands.  As  a separate  figure,  concerned  only 
about  his  own  safety,  he  would  have  no  raison  d'etre. 

The  head  of  the  Paedagogus,  which,  being  that  of 
a slave,  was  no  doubt  of  a very  different  type  from 

the  Niobid  “ Dis  nati ,”  is  lost  in  both  figures. 

The  Paedagogus  is  followed  by  the  statue  of  a 
daughter , fully  robed  in  chiton  and  chlamys,  who  is 
cowering  in  an  agony  of  fear,  and  wildly  spreading 
out  her  arms  in  surprise  or  supplication.  It  was 
found  with  the  rest  of  the  group,  but  was  for  some 

time  supposed  to  be  a Psyche , because  it  very 

closely  resembles  a winged  figure  in  the  capitol  in 
an  exactly  similar  position.  But  it  is  no  doubt  a 
daughter  of  Niobe,  and  fits  well  into  the  place 
assigned  to  it. 


(230) 


Then  follows  a wounded  Niobid , who  has  sunk 
on  one  knee,  and  though  hardly  able  to  support 
himself  in  an  erect  position,  looks  upwards  towards 
the  God  who  has  slain  him  with  an  almost  defiant  gaze. 

The  last  figure  on  this  side,  a son,  lies  stretched 
on  his  back  in  the  agonies  of  death.  His  left  hand 
covers  the  wound  from  which  his  life  is  ebbing, 
while  his  right  arm  lies  across  his  face  as  if  he 
would  fain  protect  himself  from  another  fatal  shaft. 


The  figure  of  the  Niobe  on  Mount  Sipylus,  four  or 
five  miles  from  Magnesia  (north  of  Ephesus),  is  carved 
in  alto-rilievo  out  of  the  living  rock,  at  a height  of 
about  two  hundred  feet ; it  resembles  the  Helvetian 
lion  at  Lucerne,  but  is  much  larger,  being  three 
times  the  size  of  life.  The  image  of  Niobe  is  repre- 
sented sitting,  and  the  water  runs  down  upon  it 
through  a large  cutting  in  the  rock  above.  The 
hands  are  folded,  and  the  head  is  slightly  inclined 
on  one  side,  by  which  an  expression  of  sadness  is 
produced.  Pausanias  visited  the  spot,  and  says,  “ I 
saw  the  Niobe  when  I was  on  Mount  Sipylus.  Near 
at  hand  it  looks  like  rough  stone,  and  affords  no 
semblance  of  a woman,  either  mourning  or  otherwise ; 
but,  on  moving  away  to  a greater  distance,  one 
really  seems  to  see  a weeping  cast-down  woman.” 

(235) 


Very  remarkable  is  the  reference  to  it  in  Homer 
in  the  following,  perhaps  interpolated,  passage,  in 
which  Achilles,  after  describing  the  fate  of  Niobe, 
says : — 

“And  now  in  Sipylus,  amid  the  rocks 
And  lonely  mountains,  where  the  goddess  nymphs 
That  love  to  dance  by  Achelous1  stream, 

’Tis  said,  were  cradled,  she,  though  turned  to  stone, 

Broods  over  wrongs  inflicted  by  the  Gods.” 

Perry . 


LEGEND. 

In  the  sad  and  beautiful  story  of  Niobe,  daughter 
of  Tantalus,  and  wife  of  Amphion,  King  of  Thebes, 
we  have  an  instance  of  the  severe  punishments  meted 
out  by  Apollo  to  those  who  in  any  way  incurred  his 
displeasure.  Niobe  was  the  proud  mother  of  seven 
sons  and  seven  daughters,  and,  exulting  in  the  num- 
ber of  her  children,  she,  upon  one  occasion,  ridiculed 
the  worship  of  Leto,  because  she  had  but  one  son 
and  daughter,  and  desired  the  Thebans,  for  the  future, 
to  give  to  her  the  honors  and  sacrifices  which  they 
had  hitherto  offered  to  the  mother  of  Apollo  and 
Artemis.  The  sacrilegious  words  had  scarcely  passed 
her  lips  before  Apollo  called  upon  his  sister  Artemis 

(236) 


to  assist  him  in  avenging  the  insult  offered  to  their 
mother,  and  soon  their  invisible  arrows  sped  through 
the  air. 

Apollo  slew  all  the  sons,  and  Artemis  had  already 
slain  all  the  daughters  save  one,  the  youngest  and 
best  beloved,  whom  Niobe  clasped  in  her  arms,  when 
the  agonized  mother  implored  the  enraged  deities  to 
leave  her  at  least  one  out  of  all  her  beautiful  chil- 
dren ; but  even  as  she  prayed,  the  deadly  arrow 
reached  the  heart  of  this  child  also.  Meanwhile  the 
unhappy  father,  unable  to  bear  the  loss  of  his  chil- 
dren, had  destroyed  himself,  and  his  dead  body  lay 
beside  the  lifeless  corpse  of  his  favorite  son.  Wid- 
owed and  childless,  the  heart-broken  mother  sat 
among  her  dead,  and  the  Gods,  in  pity  for  her  un- 
utterable woe,  turned  her  into  a stone,  which  they 
transferred  to  Sipylus,  her  native  Phrygian  mountain, 
where  it  still  continues  to  shed  tears. 

Apollo  and  Artemis  were  merely  the  instruments 
for  avenging  the  insult  offered  to  their  mother;  but 
it  was  Nemesis  (the  goddess  of  Vengeance)  who 
prompted  the  deed  and  presided  over  the  execution. 

j Sevens. 


(237) 


VENUS  DE  MEDICI,  UFFIZI  PALACE. 


' I 'HIS  universally  celebrated  statue,  by  Cleomenes, 
son  of  Apollodorus,  a Greek  artist  living  in 
Rome  in  the  first  or  second  century  of  the  Christian 
era,  was  found  in  eleven  fragments  in  the  portico  of 
Octavia  at  Rome,  for  the  adornment  of  which  it  was 
in  all  probability  originally  executed.  The  whole  of 
the  right  and  left  arms,  from  the  elbow  downwards, 
are  restored.  Traces  of  gilding  were  visible  on  her 
hair  on  its  first  discovery,  her  ears  are  pierced  for 
rings,  and  she  wears  an  armlet  on  her  left  arm. 

A comparison  of  the  Venus  de  Medici  with  the 
extant  copies  of  the  Cnidian  Aphrodite  leaves  no 
room  for  doubt  that  Cleomenes  drew  his  inspiration 
from  that  lovely  darling  of  the  Grecian  world.  The 
position  of  the  feet  is  almost  the  same  in  both. 
The  right  arm  of  the  Medicean  is  restored  on  the 
model  of  the  Venus  in  the  Pal.  Chigi  at  Rome, 
which,  according  to  the  inscription,  was  copied  by 

(238) 


Menophantus  from  the  Aphrodite  of  the  Troad.  The 
position  of  both  arms  is  the  same  as  in  the  Capi- 
toline  Venus.  The  Medicean  differs  from  both  in 
being  much  younger,  slighter,  and  of  more  delicate 
and  tender  proportions.  She  is  sometimes  called 
Anadyomene,  on  account  of  the  dolphin  at  her  feet, 
but  the  trim  elegance  with  which  her  hair  is  arranged 
militates  strongly  against  this  interpretation. 

Her  whole  form  seems  to  shine  in  a soft  lustre  of 
love  and  beauty.  The  exquisite  surfaces  and  curves 
of  the  perfectly  moulded  figure  flow  and  melt  into 
each  other  with  a “ never-ending  sinuosity  of  sweet- 
ness.” The  simple  elegance  with  which  the  hair  is 
arranged  enhances  the  perfect  form  of  the  head,  which 
is  poised  so  gracefully  on  the  finely  rounded  neck. 
The  charming  oval  face,  which  is  radiant  with  pleased 
anticipation,  is  slightly  raised  and  turned,  and  wears 
an  expression  of  mingled  timidity  and  archness ; and 
the  sweet  soft  swimming  eyes  as  they  gaze  into  the 
distance  seem  to  ask  and  promise  love. 

A considerable  difference  of  opinion  exists  among 
writers  and  connoisseurs  as  to  the  character  and 
circumstances  in  which  the  artist  intends  to  represent 
her.  It  seems  very  doubtful  whether  he  has  any 
particular  function  or  adventure  of  the  goddess  in 
view.  An  Anadyomene  she  can  hardly  be,  as  we 

(241 ) 


have  said,  and  if  we  must  attach  some  story  to  the 
statue  we  should  prefer  the  interpretation  of  Heyne, 
who  thinks  that  she  is  standing  for  judgment  before 
Paris.  With  this  view  of  the  matter  Byron  seems  to 
agree,  and  on  such  a question  the  testimony  of  the 
noble  poet  is  quite  as  valuable  as  that  of  the  most 
learned  German  philologian  : — 

“ Appear’st  thou  not  to  Paris  in  this  guise?” 

The  half-deprecating,  half-triumphant  glance  of  the 
successful  candidate  in  the  competitive  examination  on 
Mount  Gargarus  seems  to  favor  the  supposition. 

The  attitude  of  the  Chigi  Venus,  in  the  Vatican,  is 
the  same  as  that  of  the  Medici,  but  she  holds  the 
end  of  a fringed  garment  in  her  left  hand. 

The  Capitoline  Venus  is  rather  larger,  and  more 
womanly  in  her  fully  developed  forms.  In  artistic 
merit  it  is  not  much  inferior. 


(242) 


Perry. 


THE  WRESTLERS,  TRIBUNA  OF  THE 
UFF1ZI. 


HE  famous  marble  group  of  The  Wrestlers  in 


the  Tribuna  of  the  Uffizi,  Florence,  represents 
two  youthful  figures  wrestling  with  the  utmost  might 
of  a physical  strength  that  has  been  trained  in  gym- 
nastic exercise.  Both  are  so  ingeniously  entwined 
in  each  other,  that  the  group  is  beautifully  con- 
structed, and  yet  the  figures  are  everywhere  dis- 
tinctly separable.  The  one  thrown  down  seems  for 
the  moment  to  have  the  worst  of  it,  though  not  to 
such  an  extent  that  the  issue  is  already  decided. 

On  the  contrary,  the  uncertainty  of  the  result  keeps 
the  spectator  in  the  same  suspense  as  in  similar 
scenes  in  the  gymnasium.  Art  has  here  admirably 
transformed  into  marble  one  of  those  scenes  which 
the  Palaestra  daily  afforded  to  the  attentive  observer. 

The  treatment  of  the  figures,  in  spite  of  their 
power,  is  full  of  tender  softness,  the  attitudes  betray 


(247) 


elastic  movement,  the  outlines  are  full  of  expression, 
and  everything  indicates  profound  anatomical  under- 
standing. 

The  fact  that  this  group  was  found  with  that  of 
the  Niobe  formerly  occasioned  the  idea,  since  refuted, 
that  it  represented  the  two  sons  of  Niobe.  Its  excellent 
execution,  which  is  superior  to  the  statues  of  that 
group,  leads  us  to  infer  that  it  is  an  original  of  the 
Greek  period.  The  masterly  balance  displayed  in  the 
composition  of  such  a closely  entwined  group,  the 
bold  life  exhibited  in  the  delineation  of  a momentary 
action,  and  the  perfect  and  effective  treatment,  all 
seem  to  me  to  indicate  the  Rhodian  School. 

Lilbke. 


(248) 


UFFIZI  PALACE  AND  GALLERY,  FLORENCE. 


HOME  OF  THE  NIOBE  GROUP. 
HOME  OF  THE  VENUS  DE  MEDICI. 
HOME  OF  THE  WRESTLERS. 


'j'HIS  celebrated  collection,  as  a whole  perhaps  the 
richest  and  the  most  varied  in  the  world,  though 
less  extensive  than  that  of  the  Vatican  or  Louvre  in 
some  of  its  departments,  is  contained  in  the  upper  story 
of  the  Uffizi,  a fine  building  erected  by  Cosimo 
for  the  public  offices  or  tribunals,  and  which,  besides 
the  gallery,  contains  the  Magliabecchian  Library  and 
the  Medicean  Archives.  This  is  Vasari’s  best  build- 
ing. It  was  begun  in  1560. 

The  gallery,  properly  so  called,  was  originally  an 
open  portico,  now  enclosed,  which  framed  all  the 
upper  story  of  the  Uffizi,  and  which  was  used  by 
Cosimo  I.  and  his  successors  as  a passage  from  the 
Pitti  Palace  to  the  Palazzo  Vecchio  without  descend- 
ing into  the  streets. 


(250 


This  corridor  of  communication,  which  now  opens 
.into  the  western  gallery,  is  Vasari’s  work,  and  was 
completed  in  five  months. 

The  original  collections  of  the  Medici  family  were 
dispersed  at  various  periods,  the  collections  of  Lorenzo 
the  Magnificent  were  sold  in  1494,  and,  lastly,  their 
palace  was  plundered  after  the  assassination  of  Ales- 
sandro, in  1537.  Cosimo  I.,  however,  recovered  much 
of  what  had  belonged  to  his  ancestors,  and  he  was 
the  founder  of  this  museum,  in  which  he  was  much 
assisted  by  Vasari.  His  successors  rendered  it  what 
it  is  now,  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  Europe. 
Most  was  done  by  Ferdinand  I.  and  Cosimo  II. 

The  Tribune  was  completed  by  Cosimo  II.,  in 
1610,  and  was  originally  built  by  Ferdinand  I.  for 
a cabinet  of  miscellaneous  curiosities.  Amongst  other 
objects  his  collection  of  astronomical  and  philosophi- 
cal instruments  were  here  deposited.  His  rich  col- 
lection of  medals  and  gems  also  stood  here.  The 
cupola  is  also  incrusted  with  mother-of-pearl ; the 
pavement  is  of  various  colored  marbles.  Here  are 
assembled  some  of  the  most  valuable  works  of  the 
gallery;  but  as  this  room  was  not  intended  for  their 
reception  it  is  not  particularly  well  adapted  for  the 
pictures. 

The  fine  works  of  sculpture  which  are  collected  to- 

(252) 


gether  in  the  Tribune  are  sufficient  in  themselves  to 
confer  a reputation  on  the  Museum  of  Art.  The 
first  which  attracts  special  attention  is  the  far-famed 
statue  universally  known  as  the  Venus  de  Medici. 
Following  this  comes  The  Apollino,  The  Dancing 
Faun,  The  Lottatori  (or  Wrestlers),  and  L’Arrotino, 
or  slave  whetting  his  knife. 

The  finest  paintings  of  the  collection  are  deposited 
in  the  Tribune. 

The  Hall  of  Niobe  is  a fine  apartment,  erected 
by  the  Grand  Duke  Leopold  in  1779;  but  it  is  not 
well  lighted  for  sculpture,  nor  are  the  statues  well 
arranged,  and  the  effect  of  the  group  is  injured  by 
the  figures  being  thus  scattered.  They  are  sixteen  in 
number,  not  all  of  equal  merit. 

Murray . 


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